“My mom was always the last one to leave the house, and I used to wonder why.
For a while, I believed it was because she took the longest to prepare.
She occasionally waited until the last minute, I supposed.
Though I could not really understand why a mother would care so much, I had the feeling she did not want to go out in public without her hair done or lip liner on.
It was only when I became a mother that I realized the solution.
Because we all stood outside, clutching the flip-flops and swimsuits she had given us, rolling our eyes at how long she was taking, wrapped up in the scarves, jackets, and hats she had taken out of storage or covered in sunscreen she had applied to our faces—
Mom was putting hot chocolate into thermoses.
When preparing picnic meals,
and verifying that the light in the bathroom was off,
When adding water to the dog’s bowl,
and getting us a backup change of clothes in case,
When looking for a coupon in the junk drawer,
Then, for once, taking a hot minute to use the restroom by herself,
and certainly, applying a tiny amount of lipstick.
When she did show up at last, putting on her coat and locking the front door, she was always greeted with an irate,
“Mom, come on!”
In response, she would fire daggers out of her eyes.
I never understood it for a very long time. She had begun at the same moment as us!
Then I had a child.
Finally, it occurred to me that my mother was not the last person out because she was sluggish, unorganized, slow, or unduly self-conscious about her appearance.
It was because she prioritized taking care of everyone and everything else before herself.
And mothers just do that.”
Credit: Emily Solberg’s “Shower Arguments” .