It has been one year and 4 months since my son joined me in Montreal from China. Time went fast and it was my birthday. Usually I do not celebrate it, mainly it is not my thing and practically I have been busy working elsewhere from my family almost all the time in the past 15 years. You know, when you were alone, you tend to forget it because you realize you had no one to celebrate with you!
This year, it was different! My son is here, wohoooo! I sure did remember my birthday and I kind of reminded my son of this dusted shy future event of mine! The very day arrived and I asked my son: “do you want to have dinner with us ( to say us, because I am supposed to have dinner with my boyfriend )? I thought he’d say no, but to my surprise, he said yes with a positive attitude in a happy tone. Well, then I have to tell my boyfriend that my son would come with us, because it was meant to be a 2-person private party! Eventually, his 2 daughters will join us too. More surprisingly, his parents were joining us as well! Olala, a party of 2 now became a party of 7! Well, that was not what I expected! A happy surprise for me who seldom took her birthday seriously and celebrated it with people!
It was a very good French restaurant at Plateau Montreal. My son was very hungry. We ordered Entrée. I asked for Escargo which was excellent, but my son ordered Vegi Salade which turned out to be not so good according to him. “ yuck”, he murmured, “ it is bitter!” That was one of the problems too often to arrive when we do not know about the ingredients of Western food!! He ate it almost up despite of his yucky feeling. “ Well”, I said to him: “ if you have an open stomach, you might think it is not too bad, or you will not order it the next time!”
For the main course, I ordered Duck Liver! That was very good as well. My boyfriend’s mother ordered exactly the same dinner as me: both entrée and main course! My son quickly finished his meal of pasta and played with his iPod touch with Frédérique, daughter of my boyfriend. When everybody finished and started ordering dessert, my son asked for his school bag which was put on the corner counter behind the table and reached for something inside. He took out an envelope, a big one. It looked like an envelope for photos. He stood up and gave it to me across the table. I took it and put my hand in trying to feel what it was. Well, what I took out was not one thing, it was 2 pieces. 2 long rectangular things rapped up with white gift papers. What could these be? I wondered!
Unfolding the white paper, I saw 2 plates of whitish lime stone like pieces. They were tied by 2 strings on top of each and they have words engraved in. On one, it reads: Mothers are Angels in Training! On the other: If I could choose again, I’d still choose you! “WOW!”, was said loud in my mind! I looked at him thinking: “what the h..this little person did!” The second phrase, I heard it sometimes, but Mothers are Angels in Training! Shut up! Isn’t it awesomely nice!!
Just think about it, mothers are Angels in Training! An excellent compliment to his mother, me , and a compliment with a reserved attitude and a hidden reality truth: we are mothers who face challenges of parenting every day, and yes, haven’t we been in training all the time to cope with different situations and deal with different children? Are we doing well, are we doing bad? But no matter how we have been doing, we all have golden hearts full of non-conditional love for our children and yes, that is why we are angels! Nevertheless, it is a compliment with a sense of humor about the fact that all mothers are human beings ourselves with faults, yet who, despite of the fact, always love and protect our children almost like angels only not quite knowing the HOW_TO skills! It gives an ultimate praise to mothers, it acknowledges the good wills of them and it brings hope to mothers who are facing challenges all the time no matter where they are in the world!
“I am jealous!”, said Stephanes’ mom. “ My son never said that to me!” Yes, it is another compliment again, not only for me, but also for my almost 20 years old son who is truly growing up every day with more and better gentleness, kindness, knowledge and skills…That is the direction all mothers have been keeping their fingers cross for every day and the direction for all mothers to look up to, secretly trying to be “trained” so that they can be honoured “ Angels” when their kids grow up into true women and men.
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