How I know I'm a mom

By KARENTV - NYC MOMS BLOG

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Dropping my son off at school one morning, he suddenly and urgently expressed the need to blow his nose. At that very moment, the bell rang. After frantically searching for a tissue to no avail, I took a deep breath, pulled up my sweater, and had him blow his gross green boogies right into my undershirt. I'm well versed in the routine of wiping a nose with my sleeve, rolling up said sleeve, and repeating that all day long (don't ask why I never seem to have tissues on hand). But a full on nose-blowing into my shirt? That moment, for me, punctuated the realization that "I am a mom".

Since then, I've noticed a few other things that I would associate with motherhood...and now frequently recognize in myself:

--- The "mom's arm as seat belt" phenomenon. My mother, upon braking hard while driving, would extend her right arm across the passenger seat passenger, as though the restraint from her arm would protect the occupant. Even though my passengers are all car-seat bound in the back, I find myself doing the same thing. Don't worry pocketbook - you'll be safe riding with me.

--- Devotion to schedule and structure. When childless, I would fly by the seat of my pants...traveling, eating out, and staying up late. Now, I know any schedule shift will need to be carefully orchestrated so as to avoid stirring up the masses of short people that surround me. Naps cannot be skipped for any old holiday -if it isn't a major holiday, you can forget about missing a nap, kiddo. It is for this reason that Daylight Savings Time is the bane of my existence twice a year. You'd think an hour shift wouldn't make a difference, but oh, how it does.

--- Comfort with the zombie lifestyle. When I think of zombies, I picture the "Thriller" video with the undead - arms outstretched - relentlessly trailing behind Michael Jackson. The scene is eerily similar to my kitchen every day at 5 pm, when I try to assemble dinner with 3 tired, whiny, and often snotty boys grabbing at my legs and pulling at my shirt. In my case, my pursuers will always be there, whether I'm sleeping or not.

--- Resignation to living life on short sleep. In college, I would sleep when the parties were over. After I started working, I would sleep when I was tired and had finished work. My childless, pregnant self would sleep whenever tired, often including multiple naps on weekends. When I had my first baby, I would sleep when the baby slept. Now? I have three kids who seem to intentionally stagger their nighttime wake-ups to maximize the amount of sleep I'm deprived of each night. My husband and I scheduled a much-needed date night a few weeks ago...after the babysitter arrived, we actually discussed paying her to just go home so we could go to sleep. Although we didn't, I kind of wish we had.

--- "Flexible" fashion sense. Although they might deny it now, I used to work at Vogue magazine. These days, a fashion victory for me includes having on all appropriate clothes as I run out the door (don't tell me you never came close to answering the door wearing only a nursing bra with the flaps down in the bleary-eyed-new-parent state). Yoga pants or sweats are a staple, and jeans are considered "dressing up". I also consider banana smears on my left shoulder and drool stripes down my back to be important parts of my signature style.

It is actually kind of entertaining to notice these changes in myself, and to be aware of how my husband and I have grown into our parenting roles (contrasted with our carefree lives when we dated in college). My sisters and I laugh when we can call one another out on being "so Mom". But, should I ever cease to notice my mom-ish traits, I'll always have the stretch marks to remind me-I earned those stripes.

This is an original post from the NYC Moms Blog (http://www.nycmomsblog.com).