My Mom's Better Than Your Mom

I am recovering from surgery and flew my mom from California to help out for a week. The entire time she kept saying how useless she felt. Our kids aren't little anymore- they're almost all teenagers- and they get themselves ready for school in the morning and pick out clothes to wear, and take showers on their own (sometimes after much encouragement). I'm not a single mom, or have a husband that works all hours of the night and day. Some might think I didn't really need my mom to come, but they would be wrong.

Not only did my mom do endless loads of laundry- managing to pair up 80% of the hundreds of our wayward socks- she washed dishes every day, swept and vacuumed floors, attended basketball games and kept me company. Usually my kids have chores to do each day, but while she was here, she assisted them and I heard very little complaining. I was unable to attend my daughter's basketball games, and my youngest's games to watch her cheer, but my mom went and took video and cheered them on. She relieved my husband of extra duties so he could go to work without worrying about me.

And while my mom did all of these household and family tasks, she sat and watched stupid TV with me and talked with me about the news and told me stories from home, and listened to me grunt and groan as I moved around. She got me glasses of water, and helped me put together Valentines for the kids. She made me laugh ( a lot), and I didn't even mind that I had to hold my stomach and take pain pills afterward.

My mom was the best after-surgery helper in the world and we were all sad to see her go home.

Thanks, mom- you are one in a million.