Clio has been calling me "Mom" on occasion these days. I'm not sure exactly how she picked it up -- maybe from hearing A. and I address our mothers as "mom" on various occasions -- but she does it in an almost mischievous manner, like she's checking it out to see if it works / she can get away with it. I can't say I like it. She sounds way too grown up when she says it, and I feel way too un-grown-up to be called it.
There's a difference between being a "mommy" and a "mom." A "Mommy" is someone young and vibrant, possibly even hip. She plays and laughs with her adoring young children, kisses their boo-boos when they fall down, tucks them into bed at night. But a "Mom"? Entirely different. A mom is a frumpy someone you argue with and roll your eyes at. She wears bad jeans and has an outdated haircut and drives a mini-van with a "My child was student of the month..." bumper sticker on the back. She's worrywort. She's a nag. You wish she'd just leave you alone.
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