Mom's got my back

One night I was out to dinner with my parents at the local Knights of Columbus hall.  Danny was deployed, Ashlyn was just a little thing.  Mom was entertaining her at the table when one of mom's old acquaintances stopped by.  This lady was cooing at Ashlyn when I walked up.  Mom introduced me.  And this lady responded with "are you old enough to have a baby!" 
Well, I had heard that a lot.  When I was receiving care at the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton, I was frequently asked for my father's information, not my husband's.  That was always awkward.  I also was used to the looks I would get at the stores in Cedar Rapids, look at me, look at my baby, look for a ring, look for food stamps.   In Oceanside, I looked a lot like the other wives so I didn't get the once over there.
 Mom had never experienced a moment like that and I must say, she did not care for it!  My mother, God love her, came to my defense so damn fast that I didn't even have time to react.  I have forgotten a lot of the remarkable things that my mom has said over the years but this is etched in my brain.
"Yes, she is old enough to have a baby.  Anne is married to a marine.  He is in Okinowa right now, he was in Dessert Storm last year.  She has lived in California and decided to come home with the baby so we could spend time with her."  And it was all said with kind of a oversimplification of the words.  Mom was pissed.  It was the first time she had ever seen someone pass judgement on me.  Though Mom wasn't a fan of our young marriage, she was a fan of the union and of the little girl we made.  And no one was going to judge me as long as she was around.
I have clung to that moment for such a long time.  It was such a valadation for me, I was doing it right and Mom approved.  Mom had reservations about me moving home with Ashlyn.  She was afraid that I was going to expect her to be my babysitter.  But Ashlyn was mine.  And I was hers.  Oh, she spent a lot of time with her Grandma and Grandpa Snow, but I was usually there, or just running to the store.   
There were times when it was very hard to be living with my parents again.   I just wanted my own space and I wanted to be with my husband.  But, Ashlyn got to sit beside her grandpa while he watched the game.   She would throw all her toys off her rolly chair tray and Grandpa would pick them up for her.  They were both entertained for hours.  And Grandma would put Ashlyn on her lap while she read the newspaper.  And then she would pull newspaper out of Ashlyn's mouth.  My parents were proud of this little girl I had.  They got to see me doing something I was really good at and that was fun for me.  Mom was thrilled that I was breast feeding (it was not encouraged when her children were born), she loved that I took Ashlyn with me whenever it was feasible (not too cold or snowy or icy) and she loved that I was a happy, fullfilled mom that loved the job.