"Because You're the Mama"

I have always wondered why Joey seems to be fine playing with some people one minute and the next minute when she sees me, she will start to pout and cry. 'Do I look so scary??' I always think to myself. Haha..

Then yesterday in the office nursery when I went in to feed joey her medication, the same thing happened. Joey was fine when auntie was carrying her. But when I carried her and looked at her in the eye, she took one moment to stare at me and upon recognising me, she started to pout and make noise. Auntie then made a comment.. "Because you're the mama lah.."

Suddenly I realised. It's precisely because she recognises me that she behaved in that way. She knows that I am someone who loves and cares for her, and that if she makes some noise, I will let her get her way. Even for someone as young as her, she already knows her exclusive right to her mama and that she has a certain influence over me. Like how I would run over to her cot the moment she starts crying. And how I would carry her and rock her to sleep when she refuses to stay put in the cot. How interesting. :)

Then I started to think about my own mama. The way I treat her is very different from the way I treat my mother in law. Because even though I am close to my mother in law as well, she is afterall not my real mother. With my own mum, I can talk loudly, talk back to her (=P) and tell her to stop it when she nags. Not with my mother in law of course. And I realised it's got to do with the simple fact that SHE IS MY MAMA. I know she will never blame me or remember the bad things I've done. She will always accept me, weaknesses included, and she will always have my best interests at heart. My mother in law loves me very much too of course, but it is just different.

With that, I have a better understanding how Joey knows she can always get her way with me because I have a soft spot for her. It's like that for all mothers, i guess? :)

That is why people always say when mothers whack their kids, the pain is in their hearts. Haha... What was that? Spare the rod and spoil the child?? Hmm.. I shall know in future...