Thursday, December 30, 2010

My Daughter Sees Me as #1 Mom

In the previous post, I wrote and told you for Christmas I received a silver necklace in the mail.  Attached to the necklace was a silver heart and lettering saying #1 Mom with a red rose inside in the heart with the lettering.
I need to say more about this.  My daughter, Taylor Jean, has Aspbergers Syndrome, which is a slight form of autism.  She functions in every day living  and made the JV Cheerleading Squad.  Her favorite subjects are French and Art and she wants to be a Fashion Designer when she grows up.  However, the AS makes it so she doesn't function socially at the level she should.  Thankfully her school has a class for this and it seems to help with her social skills.
As soon as I went to my dads house, I had my step mom put the necklace on for me and I haven't taken it off since and don't plan on it.  However when it first came in the mail and I read the words #1 Mom I thought how undeserving I was I was of this precious gift.
My Daughter is now 14 and I missed the years of her life from 7 to 13 and 1/2. With the occasional pop in and pop out until I matured enough to know I had to stay clean for a year before coming back into her life.  I will never get those years back, but more importantly when my daughter needed her mommy during those years I wasn't there.
Sometimes she still calls me mommy, because of her AS but also because there were so many years when she needed to say mommy and couldn't.  Of my past mistakes, what I did to my children is my biggest regret.  I had them stay with stable family; instead of dragging them through my addiction, but I wasn't there for them.
My son who was 3 or 4 when I left doesn't even remember me.  So I don't push him to talk to me or write.  I figure when he wants to he will, if he wants to.
I remember the years before my addiction:  a single mom working two jobs, at times, paying a mortgage, with two cars, and going to school full-time for my Masters degree(which I did not finish).  Yet however stressful that life might seem I remember laughing and playing with my kids in the yard and their rooms and the living room.  I remember having them crawl into my bed in the morning to watch tv with me when I just couldn't quite get up yet.  I remember making ice cream sundaes and dinners in the oven.  I remember reading to them everyday before we left the house and every night before they went to bed.  I read to them before they were even born.  Back then I was #1 mom material.
I am trying my best to be the best mom I can from 10 hours away and after all the lost time, but I wasn't sure I deserved to be called a #1 mom yet.  I haven't had enough time to prove myself again to my daughter, however my daughter is quick to forgive and quick to love.
She thinks I would like this necklace and she bought it for me.  I wear it with pride and know that although I'm still proving it to myself; my daughter already accepts me as the #1 mom.  She has a step mom in her life and I know her I met her as a friend before my ex married her and she is a kind woman.  But in my daughters eyes I am #1.

4 comments:

  1. My greatest amends to my children is to do today different. Takes time. Love those 'silver necklace' moments. They help along the way. Enjoy - and all the best to you in this Brand New Year!

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  2. As I've said before, you are an inspiration. Having the strength to return is far more difficult than leaving. This is a testament to the fact that your daughter embraced your return. Your writing is so powerful and engaging. Your parents are amazing. My son also has Asperger's. He's a junior in college and doing great. The college he attends as a great support system for Asperger's students. He still has difficulty in negotiating the social minefield but is dealing with it really well. He's a great kid.

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  3. It was a great gift you gave your children when you left them in a stable environment. I am sure you were greatly missed by them but navigating motherhood as an active addict is difficult for all involved. Returning into your children' lives as a healthy mom is a very courageous thing to do. I admire you.

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  4. It takes courage to tell the truth and its truth that sets us free,i had the same experience being the mother of three beautiful children and i phoned social services myself but fortunatly the kids had family members to take care of them until i got well from my drug addiction.Sending you hugs and prayers from SCOTLAND <3

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