I was awakened this morning by the cat barreling headlong through the bedroom door (which had been closed until it met with the full force of her head), a piece of paper impaled on her back left foot. The paper fell off and after one bushy-tailed lap around the room, she vanished through the door. I picked up the piece of paper. It read "Happy motrer's Day! 2007."

Telltale stirrings were audible from below. A spoon dropped. The microwave beeped. I heard the kitchen door slide open. A few minutes later, Mr. Spy and AJ appeared with a tray of breakfast and lilacs. "I put the raisins in the oatmeal and I got down the milk!" AJ said proudly. He handed me his presents, a package he had brought home from school and hidden carefully in his room saying one of his favorite phrase of recent weeks, "I need some privacy in my room, Mommy!" Sometimes AJ wants privacy for secrets, but more often he wants it for what he's doing right now: putting Green Day (Nimrod) on his CD player and dancing like a maniac. An audience cramps his style. He's a little embarrassed about his crazy dancing. Me? I just wish I could watch. Because I'm a crazy solo dancer too. And I totally understand why he doesn't want an audience. It's not the same.

AJ made a magnet for me at school out of a packet of seeds ("You can cut a hole in the bottom and plant the seeds, if you want"), some dried Spanish moss, artificial flowers, and a chartreuse label that reads "Happy Mother's Day 2007." He also brought me a plant for the garden, cheerful yellow tickseed, and a painted goldfinch on a stick that flaps its wings when the wind blows and a huge card made out of construction paper and a cupcake wrapper. Mr. Spy brought me an assortment of tea from a fancy new(ish) teashop and some cookies iced to look like tulips. I dipped one in my coffee. AJ dipped the other in his milk. They tasted like lemons and sugar.

AJ is still dancing in his room. While I love AJ no matter what he is and does, there's still something appealing to me when he does things that I do or did. It's the recognition of a kindred spirit. And it's particularly sweet when,as with AJ's dancing, it is something he probably doesn't even know I like to do too.

AJ's getting to the age where it's getting easier and easier to find things that we all like to do, and not just because we're doing them together. Like the way we all like watching The Andy Griffith Show. Mr. Spy and I like it because Opie reminds us so much of AJ sometimes. AJ likes it a little because Opie is a kid around his own age and a little because he finds Don Knotts hilarious, both excellent reasons in my book.

To all you mothers out there, have a happy day!

5 people said it like they meant it