Before the parade passes by
I’m starting to get excited about Thanksgiving because this year I actually get to co-host the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, something I’ve been watching since I was a little girl. And this time my little girl will be with me.
Richard and the boys are leaving for Cape Cod the night before Thanksgiving, to get a jump on the traffic. My 13-year-old daughter Lily and I decided to spend that evening together in the city. So we’re staying in a hotel in Manhattan, and the next morning we’ll go to the parade.
Sometimes as a mom I feel stretched really thin, so it’s great to have one-on-one time with the kids, especially now that my youngest is growing up. Lily still wants to spend time with me--I worry whether that will someday change.
Maybe that’s why last night felt bittersweet. Richard is out of town and I was lying in bed when Lily came in and said her tummy was hurting. Could she stay with me? “Absolutely,” I told her. And she crawled in with her stuffed dog. I held her in my arms and we fell asleep together. I wanted to freeze the moment.
I thought about the summer of '72, right after my freshman year at college when I was visiting Portugal with my parents, three brothers and my aunt. I didn’t want to go on that trip and at the age of 19 thought I was "too cool" to hang out with my parents.
I was sharing a hotel room with my aunt; after two nights I couldn’t take her snoring so I went to my parents' bedroom and asked my mom if I could stay with them. "Absolutely," she said. I crawled in and she put her arms around me, and I remember feeling so grateful--not just because I got away from the snoring, but because I felt a sense of "safe." Suddenly being the "coolest" one in the room didn’t mean anything any more.
Now I’m the mom and all I want is for my kids to feel safe.
It’s strange, but when you’re a mom you’re supposed to give kids "roots and wing" but secretly I think we always hope our kids will never stop wanting and needing us.
P.S. Guess who’s the snorer now?
Meredith, I love this story. It is very heart warming! What a special momment to spend time with your daughter at the parade. She will always be your little girl and want to spend time with you too.
Just have to tell you how much I enjoy your blogs. I really look forward to reading them each day. Thank you for sharing.
Meredith ,I think you are wonderful!I love the fact that you are not afraid
to be just like the rest of us.Your a wife,mom and friend.Please stay the way
you are.
The Today Show is so lucky to have you!
I am a very big fan and love you on the
show.I look forward to learning more
about you and your family.Thanks for sharing.
Take care.Tudy Ellis
Awwwwww!!
Meredith, that is such a sweet story!
I think lots of moms have those two sides to them: the one side that is supposed to give their children "roots and wing", and the other side that just dosen't want to let those children go. Lots of kids today want to be independent and "cool", but I think they also have that (more or less) continued need to be nurtured by their parents -- especially parents like you, Meredith, that love their children SO much!
Always remember this expression: "Once a baby, always a baby."
I hope you and Lily will have lots of fun together on Turkey Day, as well as Richard and "the boys". :)
Hmmm.....I wonder if Lily will make an appearance on the parade with you?
Have a good one,
Joe :)
I thought you were fantastic on The View and ditto now that you're on Today but this blog shows what a super person you are. I know you're finding it difficult but you write just as though I'm sitting down and talking to you face to face. You're blogs are the best on the internet!!!
Meredith, I love this entry. It reminds me of my Mom and my best friend's Mom. They're both very nurturing like that and I can see them doing the same thing you did with Lily!
Thanks for such great entries..keep it up!
Hi Meredith what a nice story.
let me give you a story.Suz and her daughter Chan now 31 and a mother of a 2 year jewel daughter speak to each other EVERY NIGHT and of course Suz speaks to Cassidy.
Chan lives in Ottawa and Suz here with me in Montreal and when Chan needs a baby sitter she calls her mon to go.
So we go and if I cannot make it I put her on the train 11/2 hr to go this way I do'nt worry about her driving.
So you and Lily are very close keep it like that she will always come to you for advice and she will love your involvement with her.Next thing you know you will be a grandma and she will
want you to be the babysitter and I am sure you will love it.
Until then keep snoring!!!!!
yours truly Jc.
My daughter is 20, and just left to be on her own last year. I think back at all the struggles we went through. We are so close today, I miss her daily and she misses me. I think when I lost my mother 6 yrs ago it was a reality check for her. We appreciate each other as wonderful, caring and smart women
Meredith--I think it's wonderful that you and your daughter will have some special time together before the Thanksgiving Parade. Take every chance you get to be with your kid's cause they grow up before you know it. My son is 26 and lives out of town and my daughter is 25, has been married for 5 years and also lives out of town. We don't see them much, but we do stay connected by phone and e-mail. I lost my Mother a year ago and I am an only child--it was one of the hardest things I have ever been through. I promised my Mom on her death bed that I would take care of my Dad for her and I have done just that. We live about 5 hours apart, but I visit him every month for 10 days (my husband is a sweetheart to let me do this) and when we aren't together we talk on the phone every day. There is nothing like family! God bless you, Meredith!
What an awesome mother you are! I don't know you of course, but I can just tell by the way you talk about your children. I wish everyone could enjoy their children the way we do! It would sure help in this world we live in!!! God bless you Meredith!
My little girl is 10 years old and I feel the same way. She looks both ways before giving me a kiss now when I drop her off at school. At night she sneeks into my bed when my husband is out of town on business. Such an in between stage .... I hold onto every single moment I can ... she's growing so fast. The faster it goes the more my eyes water just looking at her.
Why does Meredith not appear any more on the 9AM to 10AM segment and, sometimes, Matt does? Does she have to leave for her children or is her contract just for 2 hours? Thanks for your expected response. Meredith is great and love seeing her on the Today Show.
Your post reminded me of when I slept with my mom at various times when I was young. What true wonderful memories of feeling safe and loved. I'm happy you've experienced that with your mom and with your daughter. Lily will definitely remember it too and will shower her children with just as much love and protection. :) Thanks for reminding me of that warm, safe, and gentle experience. :)
I never read blogs. I stumbled on Meredith's and now I'm addicted. My eyes well up almost every time I read her posts. I'm a career mom, too. My kids are younger but, I can totally relate. I love this blog. Keep it up!
That's cool!! I love the Macy's parade, the store windows and my all-time favorite, The Nutcracker Ballet which every little child must see.
I'm not a mother yet, but would think that we wish we can freeze time to spend more time with our children and to let them be kids longer as well.
The bond between a mother and a daughter can never be broken. No matter what, Lily will always be your baby girl. It's nice that she can still curl up in bed with you, and it's nice that you still let her, no questions asked. You're a great mom...it's that simple. In my opinion, Lily looks just like you, Ben looks a lot like his dad, and Gabe is a perfect combination of both you and Richard. You're a lovely little family, and nothing can ever change that.
What a nice story! I'd love to have the chance to spend the evening in a Manhattan hotel and share that moment with my mom. I will be sure to watch the parade. BTW, I'm hoping to come to NYC in March for Spring Break with my niece...my early gift to her for graduating from high school and we plan on catching the Today Show! I was there for Katie's last day with my nephew who had just graduated from high school. Now, I want to be there to see Meredith and the rest of the gang!
Meredith,
I think that you are a great woman who is so thoughtful. I love that you are on the today show. I have a daughter who is almost 3 and think that what will happen to her when she is a teenager. I hope that I can have the same relationship that you and your daughter have. You can make any mom want to be a better one just by being who you are!
You are doing a great job Meredith! Love the blogs! I am a working mother of 8 children - 5 daughters and 3 sons. Our youngest son is turning 1 in a few days. Children help us keep our perspectives in check. I would do anything for my kids and love to spend those "special" moments with them.
awwww...Meredith. I was smiling and laughing and nodding all through that post. My daughter is about to turn 16 and we are very close still; this New Year she will be going to be in the Rose Bowl Parade in Ca. I will be here in TN. (first time apart on ANY holiday and now on opposite sides of the country) I've went over and over in my head "it's time to let her fly"---but everytime that child says "mommy" (which it's usually Mom, but an occaisonal mommy) my heart melts and I feel that familiar tug you describe. Being a Mom is the most rewarding and most difficult experience --I love it, "all". Thanks to Moms sharing stories like your's we know we're all doing the best we can as we can, sharing the same growing pains as adults.
Meredith, your an inspiration. When my kids were younger, I didnt take the time to spend with them. Too busy working, in a bad relationship, so on.
Now that I have my granddaughter, I value every minute with her. I wish I could turn back time.
Deanna
Meredith, I get to be at the Macy's Parade this year for the first time. My husband, Dave, and our two kids, age 11 and 15, are all coming with me! We will be at Rockafeller Plaza on Wednesday too, with our sign that shows my great grandfather who looks just like Matt! I've always wanted to see the parade; but I usually even miss it on TV because I'm in the kitchen! I'm feeling the tug from my kids now; our daugher got her driver's permit yesterday and what a shock that is to the system!
Loved your story. Life's situation made me Mr. Mom 16 years ago and today my son was curled up on my bed to watch the parde with me. We both really enjoyed it. And I honestly could care less if some other guys think that's not cool or un-macho. Those moments mean the world to me and I half dread the day they end. Thanks for sharing.
Wow Meredith I didn't watch the macys parade because I was at Philly's thanksgiving parade. I loved you on the view, I love you on millinair and of corse I love you on today. You are as good as Katie was, is.
I'm still catching up on all the blogs after finding them a week ago. I'm absolutely loving them! My daughter and I are really close. She is a senior in college now and is 6 hours away from home. Her dad is a firefighter and gone overnight working often. When she is home on break and he is gone, she will often be in my room with me. She may not stay all night (the snoring thing), but it brings back the memories and the comfort of days gone by-for both of us. I just wanted you to know the closeness will always be there, you just may not be able to experience it as much as you would like. Keep writing!!
I just discovered your blog. I had my now 17 year old daughter sign an affidavit when she was 8. In it she promised to always cuddle with me ... even as a teenager. It's notarized and laminated.