Sometimes you get lucky, and it’s sunny and 60 degrees on a Saturday in February. It might even look miraculously green outside, as if your dream of stepping into a time machine to take you to Spring actually occurred.

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You get even luckier when you have the time and the forethought to go on a hike with your family at a fantastic nature park in your city, including countless mining ruins and treehouses with views as beautiful as your heart could want.

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You might find yourself taking dreamy photos of your kids walking along fantastic abandoned railroads, wondering why every family in Birmingham doesn’t get their family photos taken here instead of the overused Railroad Park and Morris Avenue.

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You think your day has been made when your children willingly pose, looking appropriately ecstatic for the cool find and beautiful day and just simply being in your delightful company.

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Then, as you turn to move on, your husband points out that there’s actually a pretty fantastic photo op happening behind you. And you take your favorite picture of the year, which becomes your new iPhone lock screen photo.

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The ethereal beauty of the moment overwhelms you, and you’re so happy that you brought your family on this adventure.

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Your family continues on the hike, everyone happily enthused about the day’s events.

Until.

Your four year old accidentally finds – and becomes one with – the one and only mud puddle in the entire park.

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And you realize that you were wrong.

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THIS is the kind of photography you were born for.

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Those other pictures now mean nothing to you compared to capturing the slumped shoulders of utter despair,

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The deathly wails of muddy underpants,

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The racking sobs of being one with the earth in an extraordinarily unsettling way,

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THIS is your moment.

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Because, quite simply, you’re just that kind of Mom.

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Disclaimer: No children were [permanently] harmed in the making of this blog post. Car seats, however, are a different matter.

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11 thoughts on “She’s That Kind of Mom.

  1. I STILL keep extra shorts and shirts in a reusable shopping bag in the back of the van for mud-puddle accidents and such. Even though most of my kids are older than yours now … as a matter of fact, I just used a set of them two weeks ago. ;-)

  2. Those Kind of Moms UNITE!! I’ve begun recording my 3yo’s TIPs (tantrums in progress) because no one would believe me when I told them about the SCREAMING. They believe me now. Totally unexpected side benefit: when he sees me reach for my iPhone he runs from the room yelling, “NO SEND TO DADDY!!” and then takes himself up to his rom to finish his business. Win win. :)

  3. Did that carseat get sterilized before my son and I so graciously handled it and put it in our perfectly spotless car? I thought we were friends!

  4. last weekend we went out the the flats (the bay side of the island, where you can go mudding and park for amazing sunset views) and I became one with a mud puddle, so, even at 29 it happens. Although happily, there was no one around to get photographic evidence of the event.

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