I have decided not to fight it anymore!!!!   I am giving in.  It has taken a lot time, but there is no avoiding it.

I am a MOM.  Sure I know I have written endless articles about parenting and my kids.  I am friends with mostly other moms.  We talk incessantly about mom things, but secretly I complain.  Secretly I have my too cool for school moments when I tell myself, and sometimes Scott, that although I participate, I know I am not just the MOM.

I stick my finger up to the minivans.  I have a thing with tennis and tennis skirts because it reminds me of all the moms I knew growing up.  When I would lunch with the other new moms and our babies, and we would all have an arsenal of things in our baby bags, enough stuff to survive the Cuban Missile Crisis, like portable placemats, toys, mini-dvd players, cheerios in strange container contraptions, I always was the one who just wanted to teach my kid how to get a quarter into his sippy cup.

I guess I felt like admitting to just being a MOM, was like throwing the towel in.

But alas, my son?s Bar Mitzvah that just passed clued me in on something.  Yes, I will talk about this Bar Mitzvah one more time.  Why? Because you plan for it forever, and I need to get at least four articles worth out of it!  ?Are you coming off your high?? ?Is it everything you wanted it to be??  ?Didn?t it go by so quickly??  ?Do you remember anything??  ?Was it missing anything??  I was asked these the day after Ben?s Bar Mitzvah, and the day after I lost my virginity.

I answered ?yes? both times.  But what I truly got from last Saturday night was this?.I am a MOM.  I was a MOM when I sobbed after Ben finished his service.  I was a MOM when I read my speech to him and cried like I was watching Terms of Endearment.  I was a MOM when I watched my family with such pride.

I love being a MOM. This admission in no way means I will ever be able to operate the opening and closing of my car doors with a button and, I will still wear inappropriate clothing when I play tennis.

But, I have been eyeing some cute cookie cutter shapes for the holidays.  I am going to start slow.

*photo courtesy of Ricardo Serpa Photography