not a Tiger Mother

you may or may not have heard of a book that stirred up much controversy a few years ago about a chinese mom and the very strict way she (and almost every other asian parent out there) chose to raise her daughters. there is a particular part of the book where the mom describes a mother's day card that she received. upon receiving it she crumpled it up and threw it back in her daugher's face. (i actually have NOT read this book, but lots of people have talked to me about it, so if i get some details wrong- i apologize!!!) she received a ton of critism for this particularly calloused move, but the now-adult daughter spoke up and told the critics that she scribbled a card at the last second and gave it to her mom just for the sake of giving her mom something for mother's day. she knew her mother deserved more than a scribbled card, and her mom knew that she could produce a far superior piece of art than that. anyhow, my dad was and kind of still is a bit of a 'tiger father' if you will. he thinks his kids can do all things, which is why he is still kind of waiting for me to get a PhD while raising my 3 kids. what a nut! but i guess it's "flattering"(?) that he thinks i could accomplish something like that. i think i am a bit of a "stray cat mother"- not as hard core as a tiger mother, but i still expect great things from my kids- cause they're great! this mother's day, i was showered with love and tokens of my family's devotion. i still have my iphone. i definitely thought i would have broken that thing by now! chris took the kids out cause they wanted to buy me a present, so they ended up buying me a dress that has purple, green, and black designs on it. my 3 favorite colors, which the kids actually remembered. see? GREAT kids they are! they will do great things one day! barb and jerry, and robert and lindsay and their litter came over for dinner. we, the mothers, ordered Oregano's- a veggie-filled pizza, a magical chicken salad, and a wicked-good pesto penne dish, and the boys picked it up and payed for it. perfection! i had a great great day, even though i received a different kind of card from my one and only son. i almost had a tiger mother moment when i saw it, but then i put it on the fridge and pondered the depth of meaning behind the "error", if there is even an error to be found. ponder with me what topher could possibly mean by his mother's day card that he made for me with such care and precision:

he must think that i can do a better job than our landscaper. anyway, i hope you had a wonderful mother's day surrounded by people you love. props to all you mamas out there! especially to the 3 ladies i am proud to have as moms- sylvia, barbara and kim- i am blessed to have you all in my life.