The Homesteading, Needleworking, "Old School" Kind of Mom

Back in the day, my mom would make me some walking shorts out of fabric scraps from her previous clients. I never really appreciated it before. While my friends flaunt their new apparel they bought from the malls, I sport a piece my mother has sewn for me. It looked funny because each side of the shorts would have different designs. She made it out of the left overs, so she needed to make do with what she had.

I wished back for my mom and dad to make more money so they could buy me new clothes. My closet would consist of either hand me downs, items bought second hand (cheaper), or those clothes she created from scraps. I felt unlucky. I felt unhappy.

Then I thought to myself that when I grow up, I would make sure that I would make enough money to buy whatever I want. When I have a child, I thought I'd make sure she gers whatever she wants. Anything that I didn't have before, I will make sure my child will have.

But now that I am all grown up and has a child of my own, I realized all that my mom's way is still the best way to rear a child.

I did not have fancy clothes or expensive toys. My mom did not have enough money to buy us whatever we want but she did give us everything we need. She would often go for unconventional but inexpensive methods for different things but now I know it was all for the best.

My girl classmates would talk about how shiny and soft and flowing their hair was and how good their shampoo was. I, on the other hand, get my hair treatment from my mom. She would use organic materials like gugo, calamansi, vinegar, coconut oil, egg and so much more I couldn't remember.

My girlfriends would use astringentd, creams and facial wash. My mom would use egg whites, fruit peelings, some leaves I forgot the name, or some extracts from plants I don't know, to care for our face.

My friends' parents would treat them to fast food whenever they get good grades. My mom would just cook something nice when I bring home a medal. She would go out to the backyard, pick some vegetables, and make some soup or viand out of it. Back in the day, I thought eating out at a fastfood was a reward. Now, I don't think so anymore.

I never really understood my mom's way of living back then. Our house usually smelled of smoke because she would use firewood to cook our dinner. We didn't have money to buy some decent stove and a gas tank so we would go for the more primitive way of cooking. In the city. Do you know how it feels when your neighbors would complain that it's too smokey? Or going to school smelling like a barbeque?

It felt embarassing. Now, I just feel nostalgic. I don't live with my parents anymore. I moved out when I was 21. Here in the Philippines, it's a big deal when you move out from your parentd house and while you are young and single. We are all expected to stick together even after we get married and have children of our own.

I thought differently. I felt I did not want my mom's way of living. She's too "old school" if I may say so. I felt she did not exert enough effort to give us the good life, she just stayed at home. I was one of those people who thought that stay at home moms do not do any work at all. In my defense, I was young and mindless, so please pardon me.

When I gave birth to my child, I realized that all I wanted to do in my life is to be there for my kid while she's still young. So that when she grows up, she will be strong enough to stand on her own.

It is only now that I realize that I like my mom's way. I like feeding my family organic food, I love making stuff for them like my daughter's halloween costume. I used to think that money equals effort. I thought that if I buy my kid expensive clothes, toys and food, she would feel that I love her. But now that I am growing my own urban farm and making costumes and clothes theough crochet at sewing, I realized that my mom's creations were all made out of love. Because that's what I do now.

I always thought that I'd be a career woman through and through. But now I know, I want to be like my mom. I want to live like my mom. And it is actually true that when you become a mom, your calls and text to your own mom would be more frequent. She becomes a 24/7 customer service call station amswering random questions like "Why does'nt the baby stop crying?" or "Mom, my something went wrong with my dish", or "Mom, my plant died." And I'm glad because she would answer the calls and the questions very patiently, throwing in some tips and tricks along the way.