Mother of the Year Stories: Pyrotechnics, Parties, and …Plants?

It was a few years ago when my son was about 3 that we hosted an Independence Day party. I was still relatively new to doing parties with kids, but I thought I was ready for everything. The menu was planned, the house was decorated, and my husband had spent much of the day before cleaning up the yard. Since there would be other kids my son’s age at the party, we had purchased a number of outside toys, and they were strategically placed around the yard.

Dinner was a success. The kids were having a blast with all the new toys, and we were all having fun watching them. After dinner, the moms went inside while the dads went down to the yard. That’s when I heard it—“Riley, NOOOOO!” My husband ran across the yard to stop our son from putting something in his mouth. Too late. He was enjoying the fresh taste of hosta leaves. My husband took the leaves from my son and ran into the house. My first and only thought was, “Are they poisonous?” I was on the line with Poison Control while my husband was Googling to find out if they were. As Poison Control was telling me not to worry, my husband started laughing. Turns out, not only are hostas not poisonous, they’re a delicacy in parts of Asia.

Once I had finally calmed down, the sun was setting, and it was time for fireworks. But I had already had mine for the day. As I settled into my chair to watch the show, my husband handed me a beer and sat down next to me with my son safely in his lap. “Another lesson learned,” he told me. And another case of MOTY!

Lisa Jensen is a full-time working mom to son Riley, age 7, and daughter Ruby, age 2. Blog : motheroftheyearawards.blogspot.com