My Version of... "How my Mom stood up for Me"....

Here I was today sitting on the front porch drinking a beer, reveling in the peace and quiet that my wife and daughter(because they were both at one of Cheyenne's friends birthday party) brought me.
Well of course you know, when left alone to ponder life's questions, if you belong to Gather, you tend to think of the things that you read or typed earlier in the day, or the other day for that matter

So.... Kathryn Esplin-Oleski wrote an article the other day titled:

                                                        "Where do you write"

                http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976970302 

  Well I had to answer, go check it out, not just for my response but also for the article itself, it's quite interesting. The funny part was her reply....Paraphrasing here...."That's exactly what I thought you would say Todd"....

KEO is pretty much above reproach here on Gather as a writer; and as I sat on my porch today her article/comment is what brought me to this thought. Goes to show you she was right....

I know, long prelude just to get to the point, but work with me here!

I've been seeing all of these "Times Mom Stood Up for Me" articles all over Gather and I started to think...

 If you read my response to KEO's article you'll understand what I am saying.

 I was going back and forth in my mind between her article and this topic and I just decided, screw it, I got a good, not to mention UNUSUAL slant on that topic; so let's run with it..

I'm home, I'm thinking and damn, my computer is ten feet away. So, I move from the front porch to the computer and here I am....The idea lasted for more than five minutes so therefore it's worth writing about.....

OK........Here we go, are you ready?

"Times Mom stood up for Me"...(Actually, in my case, the ONLY time)

I had just graduated H.S.( I just turned 17, due to starting school early)  Things were not going good between Mom and me...To make a long story short, she kicked my ass out..

WHOA!!!

"How is that sticking up for you Todd", you ask.

Well I'll tell you, and you might actually be surprised... 

If that wouldn't have happened, I would not be the person I am today...That one simple act caused all of the events/situations that happened to me in my life up to now... (33 yrs worth)... And more than likely, all future situations be them good or bad.

 At the time I thought, "How could you do this to me, I'm your son" 

 I'm sure it was a lot harder for her to do at the time, than it was for me to accept. But in her own way that was what she felt it would take to get me to stand on my own two feet and be a man. The man she wanted me to be. Strong, self-assured, confident, capable, and ready to take on the world. I didn't know it at the time but she did; she had already taught me everything that I needed to know to survive in this world and be successful.

 Whether or not I used it was up to me.

 With that single decision and the help of the U.S Army, I found the direction and the motivation to be a successful and productive person in this society.

It's one thing to wipe your child's bloody nose, put neosporin on their cuts and tuck them in every night, in reality all the normal parental tasks and responsibilities are fairly easy compared to telling them it's "time to leave", that has to be the hardest part of parenting. I've lost two daughters to divorce, that was not by choice, I can't fathom the strength it takes to temporarily lose them by your own accord. The day will come when I'll find out, it's not an option.

  My 5 yr old is healthy and happy, my wife and I have been sincerely devoted to each other and  married for 10 years. I know in the future there is going to come a time where I will have to say those dreaded words, "Time to Leave" but...That is part of being a parent, knowing when to cut the umbilical cord and say..."I've done all I can, now it's your turn, show the world what you can do"

The reason I'm not really that scared, is simple. My mom did a hell of a job, if I do say so myself, and it didn't stop with me. My daughter Cheyenne is already becoming her own woman and I couldn't be more proud. Obviously the attitudes and ways of parenting have been passed down and another generation of my family will hopefully benefit.

So, to answer the question/statement "The time my Mom stood up for Me" is; when she threw me out of her house. By the way Mom......

I will always thank you for that...I Love you...