karen. my moo.

On behalf of Mother's Day I thought I would blog about my mother, Karen Clayton. The title is not a typo, my brother Josh has always called my mother "moo" and I on occasion as well as my brother John have also. I don't know when it started or why. We just do.
My mother and I have always had a great relationship. We never fought or had melodramatic moments like what is shown in movies. Even in my jr high/high school days. She says I'm just like my dad but I think that I'm a lot like her and thus the reason we get along so well. My mother understands the value of comfortable silence. She doesn't feel the need to talk just to speak. That's one of the things I like most about her. I love silence and that time to just be in someones presence and not have to say anything and it still be okay. My mother is very calm like myself. She may have minor freak outs from time to time but she knows how to take news, process it, and then react. I think that, that is such an important quality and I am so glad to have a mother like that.
One of the best things about my mother is she doesn't ever tell me what I should want to do in my life. She just sits and listens and gives suggestions/advice when asked or needed. She never told me where to go to college, what courses to take, what to major in. She always let me figure those things out for myself. In the moment this would frustrate me because I felt like I didn't know what to do, but I realize now that it was the best thing for me. The best thing my mother ever did for me was to not tell me what to do or how to do it. She made me think for myself and for that I will be forever grateful.
My mother is also a funny person. She doesn't mean to be but she is. I can't describe her humor with words, it's just something that comes from knowing her like my brothers and I do. I am so thankful for her and all the adventures that she has taken my family on in life. She is what the term "supermom" refers to. She did it all. PTA President, full time job, homeroom mother, shuffled us between soccer, piano, ballet, softball, boys/girl scouts and everything else in between. She did all this and still managed to cook dinner for us most nights during the week. That is one thing I love most about my family is the fact that we always ate dinner together at the dinner table. There was no TV during dinner time, instead it was a great meal with great conversations. They usually led to arguments and lots of laughter. I am very grateful for this and for my mother providing it.

Happy Mother's Day Moo. I Love You.