Lean on You

I swore I'd never become 

One of those mothers 

That 'needs' her children.

No, I was going to be the mother 

That moved Swiftly, Effortlessly,

From being the one that everyone needed, 

To being my own person.

I imagined - Me...

The one with unkept hair and crumpled clothes,

The one that wiped runny noses 

Had handbags littered with snack crumbs, 

And equipped with band-aids;

Like every 'good mother should'

Would shift in the blink of an eye, 

To the one that got dressed up and sparkled again.

I thought that maybe...

The lines of worry, collected over the past decade 

Would give way to laugh-lines, 

As I enjoyed fun evenings,

Drinks with friends... 

Chuckling away at silly memories.

Without a care for who had to be where in the morning

Or for what reminders need to be set.

Little did I know. 

Little did I know, 

That Swift doesn't make an appearance 

In the Dictionary of Motherhood.

Neither does Effortless.

I thought that this day, 

If ever...

Would come two or three decades later. 

But here it is now. 

And here you are. 

Standing tall at almost six feet, towering over me.

No more runny noses, muddy shorts or pockets full of treasures. 

In their place, a fine young man...

A very together, calm, sensible, practical almost-adult.

Most days now, I wonder how I could get through the day if it weren't for you. 

Once, I was your mother,

Now, I wonder...

When did I start to lean on you?