I had the funniest phone call this week from my college girl. She called to inform me that her sister, the sophomore in highschool, needed a sandwich. College Girl lives 10 hours away! I was so taken aback that I was speechless for a moment. I informed the college girl that I was not home and had no way of getting said sandwich her sister. The ever resourceful College Girl quickly dismissed me to call her grandmother for help. Grandmothers never say no. When I got off the phone I started laughing. The whole interaction last less than a minute.
As I was driving home and thinking about the phone call I started grinning. I was so happy. My husband and I try to instill in our children the realization that even though these people you share small spaces with annoy you beyond belief they are going to be the ones that have your back ALWAYS. I am sure my children are sick of hearing me say, "when I am gone, these are the ones who will be there for you no matter what." A household with 6 children ages 6-20 and all the chaos that goes along with varying dynamics a mother (or at least this mother) worries that her children will grow up, grow away and not like each other. But that brief phone call gave me hope that, maybe, just maybe, we are doing something right and they will take care of each other and like each other!
The highschool girl could not call me and I did not see her text. Usually, she would have skipped lunch but she had to stay after school until 6 pm for play practice; she was in a panic.. She texted the person she knew would get a hold of me no matter what. Each child has his own ring tone on my cell phone so if I hear it I know to answer. College Girl's ring tone at an odd hour would cause me to excuse myself from the activity I was engaged in and answer the phone. College Girl knew her sister was in a panic and this need to be taken care of. College girl is great at trouble shooting. Thank goodness my mom lives in town!
It was a simple thing. The girls have probably forgotten about it. But for me it was huge. It warmed my heart and made my day. I still smile when I think of it. Someday, they will realize that the greatest gift they ever received was the gift of each other. For a mother there is no great sense of accomplishment.
