For My Mother, Any Mother

My mother has always been the closest person to me. The first person I go to for advice, support, chit-chat. Whether we’re recapping the Real Housewives of New York or sharing personal stories, she’s always been easy to talk to about anything. When I call her, she listens. When I need her, she shows up. We talk every day, usually more than once.

So when former Babble editor and Momoir mastermind Sarah Bryden-Brown asked for submissions for an anthology titled “Stories I’ve Only Told My Mom,” I knew there were countless stories I could write if I thought long enough. I could write about telling my mom that the condom broke on the night I lost my virginity, and how I thought the loud noise was, literally, my “cherry popping.” (Yes, that happened.) But wait, my best friends know about that story too and mercilessly tease me to this day.

I could write about how she was the first person to know I was pregnant, by me yelling from inside her bathroom, “What does it mean if the second line is faded?” But, wait, Justin was there too.

There was one story that immediately popped in my head and wouldn’t get out. But no, I can’t tell THAT story. There has to be another one. It was something that not a single other person other than my mom knew, and it took writing that story to understand the important role my mother — any mother — plays in a child’s life. The important role that I hope to play for Noah. And now that it’s written and published, I’m glad that it’s out there. The secret I’ve been bottling up can finally be shared with more people than just my mother, and the underlying realization and gratitude is a gift for my mother and for myself.

When I sat down to read the book last night,  I read stories about other mothers, other relationships. At times I laughed out loud (Brittany Gibbon’s story about asking her mom for birth control), teared up (Amy Thompson’s story about what she wishes she could tell her mother, who died when she was 7 years old) and ached (Amber Dotty’s beautifully written story about a girl who was taken too soon). There were close relationships, estranged relationships, imagined relationships.

So if you’re still looking for a Mother’s Day gift, Stories I’ve Only Told My Mom is a touching, beautiful collection that illustrates the impact mothers have on us all. You’ll read about Monica Bielanko telling her mom she got hitched to a man she knew for two months, Katie Allison Granju finally connecting with her mom through an unlikely source, and Catherine Connors revealing a secret she couldn’t bear to tell her mom. And if you’re wondering who else is involved, check out this talented list of writers:

Laura Mayes  – Blog con Queso
Susan Petersen – Freshly Picked
Meg Keene – Practical Wedding, Reclaiming Wife
Katie Allison Granju -  mamapundit.com
Amber Doty – The Daily Doty
Heather Spohr – The Spohrs Are Multiplying
Catherine Connors – Her Bad Mother
Brittany Gibbons -  Barefoot Foodie
Heather Flett – Rookie Moms
Meagan Francis – The Happiest Mom
Monica Bielanko - The Girl Who
Liz Stanley – Say Yes To Hoboken
Amy Thompson – Progressive Pioneer
Jane Roper – janeroper.com
Erin Loechner – Design for Mankind

You can download the book to any e-reader or even print out the PDF and tie it with a bow. And for only $4.99, you’ll get 16 memorable stories.

What’s one thing you’ve only told your mom, or wish you could tell your mom?