Earlier this week, I experienced the moment that finally made me feel like an adult. I mean, sure, I am 39 years old and a mother to two boys. Also, I am engaged, work full-time and attend school full-time. I own a home and a car and manage to keep my finances in order.

Yet, until earlier this week, I believe there was still a part of me that was clinging to a shred of the innocence of youth.

My mom has two daughters, of which I am the youngest. My sister is seven years older than me and has always been the one to handle emergency situations. As the baby of the family, I have never had much responsibility placed on my shoulders. And that suited me just fine.  Little has been expected of me during any family crises.

My Mom is one of the toughest women that I know and it takes a great deal to slow her down. At 69 years old, her yard and house is much cleaner that mine; she works in both almost daily. I joke that she has an old school work ethic that I just will never possess.

Recently though, she’s been having some medical issues that have forced her to slow down, even if just a fraction. This past Tuesday, after a medical procedure, she began to have intense pain. My sister was honeymooning in Ireland, so it was up to me to tend to my mom.  My youngest son and I ended up spending almost the entire night in the hospital emergency room, watching my mom cry in pain. The reality of the situation was quite sobering.

Suddenly, I realized that I was not a little girl anymore. As a single woman who is advancing in age, my mom may require more care in the coming years. This falls on both my sister and myself. I can no longer sit idly by and let someone else do all of the heavy lifting.

In the emergency room, my mom kept apologizing for keeping me up all night when I had to work early the next day. All I could say to her was that she didn’t have to apologize. But, what she doesn’t know is that I owe her. She tended to me through three child births, an open appendectomy that almost took my life and numerous smaller ailments. It’s my turn now to take care of her, it’s time to be an adult.

Have you ever faced a moment where you suddenly felt like an adult? Have you taken care of a sick parent?

This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Margie Bryant of Arkansas, USA.  She can be found on Twitter @TheHunnyB.

Photo credit to the author.

 

Margie Webb (USA)

Margie Webb is a forty-something, divorced mom of three biracial sons: Isaiah (25), Caleb (20), and Elijah (6/8/1997 - 7/2/1997) and two bonus sons: Malcolm (5/10/1992 - 10/9/2015) and Marcus (25). She lives in Lafayette, Louisiana by way of Little Rock, Arkansas, and enjoys traveling, attending the theater, cooking calling the Hogs during Arkansas Razorback football season, spending time with family and friends, and is a crazy cat lady. In addition to obtaining her Bachelors and Masters degree, she also has a Graduate Certificate in Online Writing Instruction and a National HR Certification through SHRM. She excels in her career as a Human Resources Management professional. Additionally, she has represented World Moms Network as a Digital Reporter at various conferences, including the United Nations Social Good Summit. Her life has been one big adventure in twists, turns ,extreme lows, and highs. After recently embracing her new lease on life and her identity in the LGBTQ community, she is excited about what is yet to come. She can be found on Twitter@TheHunnyB

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