Being a Mom Means...

... that you stay home with sick kids. Doesn't matter if you're the primary breadwinner or if you have something excruciatingly important going on at work that day (or both). Mom doesn't get to say "I can't" (at least not after that initial knee-jerk reaction, anyway).

... that from conception onward, your body no longer belongs to you. Ditto your time, money, vehicle, and "alone time."

... that you become an overnight expert in medicine, economics, social planning, logistics, bicycle repair and maintenance, sanitation, mental health crisis intervention, and creative plumbing. Among other things.

... that the line between "flush" and "broke" becomes creative... that the line between "cause" and "effect" becomes blurry... that the line between "yours" and "mine" becomes invisible... and that the line between "clean" and "dirty" becomes negotiable.

... that some McDonald's commercials will actually make you cry.

... that you will replace your Art Deco knick-knacks with clay candy dishes shaped like little hands, wall sconces that are cockeyed and misshapen, and everything that you'd never have believed could have been constructed with macrame.

... that the meaning of the phrase "I'll be right there" changes with every nanosecond.

... that time becomes the most precious of resources.

... that you never have nothing to smile about... that you never have nothing to do... that you never have time on your hands... and that you never have to be alone.