It’s Mother’s Day and my kid has been sick all weekend so I really didn’t get a chance to pull anything together for my mom. Somehow she snuck a bear claw into the house yesterday so my daughter, coughing and gasping, still managed to surprise me with breakfast in bed (said bear claw and a diet Pepsi – I don’t need much!). What a nice surprise.

I tend to have a push/pull relationship with my mom – like most mom’s, she can drive me to the brink, but despite all that, she can also really come through when I least expect it. And she is truly helpful in my “high tech” life. So here’s to you mom, a little ode to how you help me every day.

M-O-T-H-E-R

M is for medical advice. This is incredibly relevant right now with my daughter sitting in the other room sporting a fever. I could Google until the cows come home but nothing can substitute for having mom around to tell me the best way to treat a sick child.

O is for old school. With so many cyber toys around our house, it seems my daughter likes nothing better than playing some “old school” games with gramma including a game called Hüsker Dü – a memory game from Denmark. Having gramma around for these moments are the things memories are made of.

T is for talking. As in, I do the talking and she does the listening. I work from home and while my colleagues are terrific, they aren’t sitting in the cube next to me. So when I get a brain fart (which can be often), it’s usually my mom who has to smelt what I dealt. Over the years, she has had to listen to me tell her the most boring stories and now she even has to read emails and follow web links. I am so glad she does.

H is for hearing. This one is really important to me because I am often faced with ethical situations that can be really confusing. She doesn’t just listen to me talk about them but she hears what’s really going on and offers me advice on doing the right thing. And let’s face it, we all have difficult decisions to make but having mom on your side to help you through the tough times can really make the decisions easier.

E is for endurance. I don’t know how she does it, she’s not getting any younger, but she manages to keep up with Katie and I as we drag her across America, around the town and through any number of kid events – from grade school open houses to camp performances. Despite the fact she raised three of her own, she never fails to be enthusiastic at all my daughter’s childhood events including fawning over artwork, strange homemade food and encounters with various living creatures my daughter finds fascinating.

R is for rock on. My mom’s been through some pretty crazy Hannah Montana dance parties. Despite Disney trying to possess my daughter’s mind, I can always count on my mom to crank up The Who or The Kinks and get my daughter rockin to classic rock and roll. There’s nothing better than watching my mom shake it while she refuses to get old.

So here’s to you mom, I couldn’t do it without you.

Happy Mother’s Day – and to all you rocking grannies in a cyber world – we love you!