Mom, Watch Me!

So, the good news is that my children engage with me and the world around them. Mom, watch this! The flip side? Mom, watch! I can't grow enough heads to keep up with their antics. Waaaaaatch! In college, I watched classic cinema, read Laura Mulvey and pondered the male gaze. Now? I ponder the mommy gaze. What is it about having your mom see what you're doing that validates it? If a five year old girl does a back flip underwater in the pool, but her mom doesn't see it...does she have to do it again? More loudly? With an arm-yank?

These are the questions that occur to me while I try to keep my (non-swimming) 20 month old from launching headfirst into the pool while muttering, "One, two, fee! Mom, waaaatch..." to himself. My daughter heads for the deep end, doing the backstroke. "Mom? Are you watching?" You bet I am. Thank goodness for teacher training: eyes in the back of my head.

Speaking of teachers, I'm daydreaming today about how my daughter will interact with her new kindergarten teacher when school starts up again on Monday morning. Will she bond with her instantly? Immediately look to her for validation of her many triumphs? In preschool and Pre-K, her teachers balanced her reliance on adults with the needs of other kids. Translation: "if I let her, she'd sit in my lap and have me read books to her all day!" This from her favorite preschool teacher. Capable of deep love and focus, my little girl is. And back to Mulvey - at least my daughter's the star of her own show.

Of course, not all kids seek attention and approval from their parents (and teachers). Which is a-ok. Those kids are more independent. Mine will get there. For now, though, she's got mommy-and-daddy-lock and a case of the watch-me's. And what about us moms? It's not like I don't pick up the phone and call my friends (or tweet or blog) when I am excited about something I've learned. Composting? Greywatering? Making a rockin summer dessert? We all reach out to our loved ones to share our fascinations.

With summer drawing to a close, I'm right there with her. I'm delighted that she's right by my side while I garden, while I pick up some stylin' secondhand school clothes, and, when I've got backup? You got it. I want her right by my side while I cannonball with the best of the five year olds. Honey muffins, waaaatch me!

Original DC Metro Moms post.

Jess Trevelyan aka MamaBird tells her friends to waaaatch about life's fascinations (green parenting, crafts, recipes) at SurelyYouNest.