The Monster at the end of this Book

I truly believe that woman, with or without children, have an innate gift to mother. I comes easier to some then others. Like all gifts it has to be cultivated and developed. I don't always understand what that means to me, a 33 year old woman, with no children, and no love of my life in sight. Tonight however, I get it.

Ever read this book, or had your dad read it in his best Grover voice?

It's a classic. Somehow I discovered last week that my 60-something year old patient is also a fan. My coworker, a mother of a 3 year old, hadn't ever heard of it. Today, I brought it, along with "Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree", to work and loaned it to her. She texted me tonight saying it was a hit and asked if they could borrow it for one more day.

The thought then hit me: the fact that I even thought my coworker and her son would enjoy the book is proof that I can mother.

The feminists of the day try to fit me into their tiny box called "Woman". They want me to be independent of all familial responsibility and create a successful career and dominate in a sphere of greatness professionally. That box has no room for the cares of loving and nurturing children. I believe in equality, but I do not believe in sameness. I am in a successful career. I love the field I have chosen, but it is just one small aspect of what makes me a woman. I have the ability to mother, regardless of my being "childless".

Unlike Grover in the book, I am not scared of turning the page. I can't wait to see what other mothering experiences lay just around the corner.