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By Linda Nidiffer
How many of you are mothers of adult daughters? How much alone time do you get to spend with them just to goof off and relax? I really can’t remember when it was just the two of us doing something we both enjoyed without the kids or the husbands around to distract us from enjoying the comfort of our bond. Now don’t get me wrong, I talk to my daughter often and see her often too, but she is a very busy woman and life gets in the way.
The last time she was just my daughter and I didn’t have to share her was when I hugged her good-bye at Penn State many years ago. I had raised her to be a strong independent young woman ready to navigate her academic experience but still I cried in the car off and on all the way home—800 miles of sniveling, I was a hot mess and Tom wasn’t any better. She met her future husband there and that was that. I had to share her, which is the way things are supposed to be, but I missed her all the same.
I proudly watched her blossom into a wife and mother and lost her further when she moved to Belgium for over two years. We visited often but, of course, her experiences were far different than mine and we rattled along brushing up against each other from time to time. Then they came back to the states and moved to Grovetown which prompted our move to Edgefield, but she was still a working mother with two children and a husband with a household to run. The years go by and now she owns two businesses, her children are raised, one in grad school in Germany and one just graduated from Penn State. She still has a husband and a household to run so her goofing off time is still so very limited.
For Mothers’ Day this year I gave us tickets to see The Beyond Van Gogh exhibit at the James Brown Arena. I got Tom settled for the few hours that I would be gone and met her at the box office. My daughter is not only and engineer but she can also sketch, so she enjoys going to art museums when she gets the chance. Neither of us had any idea what we were about to experience. Holy Moly! We were absorbed and astounded. We were filled with joy. Okay, I even giggled out loud and she joined me. If you can get tickets go. I am not going to spoil the surprise by saying anymore.
But the real special treat for me was spending a few precious minutes with my daughter without any baggage. We didn’t lug any children or husbands; it was just us. We giggled and laughed like we did when she was growing into the amazing woman she is now. This is a Mothers’ Day gift that I will remember for the rest of my life. I’m wishing all mothers the same joy that I had this weekend.