"Hey, Mom"--the best phone calls begin the same

You know what's one of the best rewards of Motherhood for me?

Phone calls.

"Hey Momza."
 It's my son, David Scott's voice on the other end.
He calls me on his way to work nearly once a week.
Hearing his voice gives me joy.
I enjoy hearing about his comings and goings,
what he and his sweetheart bride are up to these days.
We talk about the coming summer and make plans
to go camping and hiking.
The conversation winds down just as he is pulling into
his work parking lot,
we say our "love yous" and "good-byes"
then hang up with a smile.
****

"Good Morning, Mom."--that sweet voice on the other end,
is my daughter-Mommy, Dani.
"How's the Ninja Baby?" I ask.
"He's {fill in the blank--sleeping, poopy, playing}.
We go from there,
talking about the coming days' events,
how school is for Mr. Idaho,
and eventually get around to talking about
the coming baby and names they like for a girl.
They'll be in Houston this summer for another internship,
which is a challenge as we figure out when I'll leave to go there
to help out with the new baby that will be born
while they're in Texas.
We talk about the other kids,
recipes,
callings,
and the weather--
which is always a topic in the Rocky Mountains.
I listen to the Ninja baby yell and squeal in the background,
giggling at his cuteness and tell Dani ten thousand times
how much we love that baby and we plan our next visit.
Then, as his voice rises in decibels,
we say our goodbyes and talk-to-you-laters
and I hang up with a smile on my lips.
************

"Hullo, Mom. This is Dean Johnson."
"Hey, Buddy! How are you?"
"Good. How ah you?"
When Dean calls,
it's as though there's a special button that goes off in my noggin,
as I know I must listen with different ears,
and try to read between the lines of what he's saying
and not saying.
Within the first two minutes,
he will ask me when we're going to see him again.
We talk about it in generalities,
because if I said we're going to see him next Saturday,
and it's just now Monday,
well he'll just stress himself out every day in between.
So I say, "Soon. We'll see you soon.  What do you wanna do while you're here?"
If I were a gambler,
I'd be rich by now, as I know his answers will be one of these, verbatim:
"Let's go out for dinner."
"How 'bout we go to da mall?"
"Can we go to da Park?"
Then, I'll ask if he needs anything,
to which he'll answer, "Yes, I need some more footwear."
Dean loves new shoes.
Before he hangs up,
he'll ask to speak to any- and every-one
in the house.
The phone is passed around until he's had enough
and hangs up,
sometimes with a "good-bye" sometimes without.
**********

"Hey, Mom." --a tired wispy voice on the other end
 greets me early this morning.
It's Nana, whose in Provo,Utah this week,
hanging out with friends.
"I had the BEST time last night...we went blues dancing,
 it was so much fun,
everyone was so nice, and we laughed all night long.
 Didn't go to bed until four thirty this morning,
but I'm already awake and Mom, it was so much fun."
She used the word "fun" a hundred times more,
describing her night,
hour by hour,
all the personalities,
the silly and the thoughtful,
until she is out of things to say.
And all I can think of is how grateful I am
that she wanted to share it with me,
on this side of the Rockies,
and how much I'm going to miss her
when she leaves for a mission this Fall.
**********

"Oh, hey, Mom. I have a question."--most of the conversations
I have with Miss Daisy begin with that opener.
Not always, but most.
We're still working on having good communication at her ripe old age of
almost 16.
Phone calls are not for catching up as much as they staying connected,
ya know?
"Can I go{ fill in  the blank}?"--seems to be on the other end at this age.
Our best conversations aren't on the phone,
but in person,
usually in the car,
or in a bedroom,
at the dinner table after everyone else has gotten up and left--
but those conversations in person are laying,
I hope,
the foundation for the phone conversations to come.
*******

"Hey, Mom. I did my homework. Can I play now?"--
the Boofus' voice is on the end.
I'm at work when he gets home from school.
I go over the list of chores and things he's supposed to do daily,
and once he's done, he's clear to go.
"Be home by five. I love you."
"Love you too. K."
click.
*****

"Hello, Mommy? This is Ari."
Her sweet 9 year old voice is like honey to my ears.
She doesn't know this, but there's rarely anything she could ask of me,
that I wouldn't give to her.
When she is cuddled on the sofa with me,
or I'm laying in her bed next to her at bedtime,
she asks me who my "favorite" child is--
I tell her that she is,
"but don't tell the other kids."
She giggles and says it's our secret,
then snuggles in closer.
Phone calls, at this age,
are pretty much the same as the Boofus'--
information seeking, permission seeking--
"When you get home, can we go to the store?"
"When I'm finished practicing piano and violin,
can I go play too?"
I try to say "yes" when there's no reason to say "no."
And we end with a "I'll be home soon, Love."
********

I don't know what my kids will tell their kids
about me being their Momza--
I could list the things I've done wrong in parenting--
and it'd be a long list alright.
Yet,
I hope I've done enough good to make up for the flubs and floundering.

A long time ago,
someone said to me,

"You're such a good mother."

To which, I replied, "Thank you. My hope is that my kids will want to come home and visit me,
when they don't have to."

To my yahoos,
I love hearing your voices on the other end of the phone,

                                                              "Hey, Mom."