Metamorphosis by Mud

By Erin Mantz

A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.

~Author Unknown

By dinnertime on warm summer days, I am covered in dirt, water, melted Popsicles, sidewalk chalk or goo. My hair is decorated with leaves and crumbs from Goldfish crackers. My clothes are often drenched from water balloon fights or attempts to wash my car. I look a mess, even on days I'd showered and fixed my hair. I am the mother of boys.

The funny thing is, at thirty-seven, the mud has created a kind of madness that has made me, well, calmer. I am chilling out and letting myself and my life get a little messy for the first time — and it's okay. My two- and five-year-old sons have turned my visions of perfect breezy afternoons upside down, like our old striped hammock that lies sideways and dusty in our back yard.

In the woods behind our house, I follow my boys through knee-deep leaf piles and across the muddy creek. Without hesitation, they peer inside fallen tree trunks for proof of life, a squirrel's home, or big bugs. Some moments, I hang back, fearful of what they may find or what might jump out. But their excitement and bravado makes me laugh and then I'm right there with them.

They follow baby frogs from the neighbor's smelly pond and want to touch them, germs and all. Growing up, I was a girly girl who didn't walk in woods or get my hands dirty, and Kermit was the only frog I saw. Now I contemplate getting a little green guy as a pet.

Nothing makes my sons happier than water and me — combined. Their favorite outdoor activity is spraying me with a hose or washing me while they wash my car. I've stopped wearing mascara during the day.

My friends who have older kids often tell me to cherish these moments when the kids are still young enough to want me there to play. Last year, I shook my head and looked forward to when they'd be old enough to stop making me a mess. This year, I try to memorize those moments. Maybe it's because I'm a year older now, or I am noticing my boys growing up so fast. Maybe it's because these two little nature lovers have changed me.

When we moved here when my older son was two, I looked at the woods behind our house and appreciated the beauty. But, now I'm living it. I think my first son made me appreciate life, and my second son made me change the way I live my life. Some early evenings, the last thing I want to do is have to change into fresh jeans or a dry shirt, but in the end, it's more a mission accomplished than a chore.

As a girl, I'd imagined having a daughter or two someday. I pictured a house full of dolls and purple dresses, pink rooms and places for hair bows and ballet slippers. Instead, I am surrounded by bug vacuums, mud puddles and football cleats, and I couldn't be happier. My life is much messier than I ever thought it would be. And better.

http://www.chickensoup.com