Yikes! When Did I Grow Up?

Have you been going about your day and then have something happen that forces you to have a reality check and then realize that you aren't who you thought you were?

My "wake up call" came in the form of a pair of a pants... a haircut.. and a poster of a semi clothed woman.

I have slowly been resurrecting my pre-maternity clothing. It is so nice to get back into normal clothes again. I pulled on a pair of pants from the back of my closet, forgetting that I haven't worn them since 2 pregnancies ago, and remembered suddenly why they were stuffed in the back of my closet. Needless to say... after 4 pregnancies, my body is configured much differently these days and I will probably never be able to pull off that particular pair of pants again. I felt a little bit old.

I also made myself go get a haircut last week. I really like it. My hair is very thick... very fuzzy... somewhat naturally curly... and always a nightmare to deal with. They cut it about chin length, but because of the texture and bounce in my hair, we also added several layers to accentuate the waves, and prevent it from looking too boxy. The next morning as I looked in the mirror I realized I finally have "the MOM cut." I look like a mother. It was quite a shock to realize that I now have an "adult" hair cut. Matt laughed when I told him this... but I swear there comes a point in a woman's life where she realizes she's not the really young newlywed anymore and she's kidding herself if she tries to pull off younger hairstyles. I am also much more conservative with my hair accesories. Brightly colored hairbands and clippies at our house are now just reserved for my daughter. I feel ridiculous even considering using them.

My last epiphany came when I was driving down the street to pick up my mail and I noticed a rather large poster of a mostly naked woman taped to the siding of one of my neighbors houses. Right by their front door! I was shocked! Who in their right mind would hang up a poster... outside mind you... of a mostly naked woman in a neighborhood that has a lot of young families. Who wants their children looking at such an outrageous display? And then it hit me. I AM THE MOTHER OF 4 CHILDREN. (I guess I should have realized that fact earlier... but it had never really hit me like it did at that moment...)

I had 3 sons in the backseat. I need to teach them to respect women. Just because the rest of the world sees nothing wrong with exploiting women's bodies doesn't make it okay. AND I have a daughter. She is beautiful and smart, and I don't want her to grow up thinking it is okay to flaunt our bodies in front of men. Being modest and clean is so much more appealing and attractive.

Acting in my full mother bear protective mode...I had my husband call and report it to the city to have the poster removed. I was shocked and angry to talk to the police officer only to learn that the poster in question was NOT considered a code violation, and that it was not considered "in bad taste." It was merely an advertisement for the wife's business, who sells lingerie. I was told that although the neighbor agreed to remove it since one of their neighbors (namely us) finds it offensive, they had every right to post it if they wanted to. I suppose I should be grateful they took the poster down. I am just so annoyed that a pornographic poster posted in plain sight of the entire neighborhood is considered acceptable.

(grrrrrrr... I'm still a bit miffed at that one...)

My realization: Yikes, I'm a mother! I wear "mom" pants, have a "mom" 'do, and I get "mother bearish" when something threatens to attack the morality of my kids. It has been a long, revealing week for me. I guess I've been "growing up" for quite some time... I just didn't fully realize it.