May 7, 2025 • 21 mins
This week on the Mothers of Boys Survival Guide podcast, we’re celebrating ALL the amazing moms out there with a heartfelt, hilarious, and wisdom-filled Mother’s Day episode. 💕
Host Cheryl Bohn is joined by author Suzy Shaw and Suzy’s mom, Barby Shaw—aka Nanna Dana — for stories that span generations of motherhood, from chaotic “Mudder’s Days” to finger rhymes, Foxy Loxy hikes, and the magic of Winnie the Pooh. 🧸
✨ You’ll laugh (cat food pancakes?!), maybe tear up a bit (birth stories and bedtime songs), and definitely feel seen as a mom. Barby brings timeless advice—from kindergarten classroom hacks to the power of keeping kids busy, fed, and loved. And don’t miss her classic motto for moms: “Patience, patience, little jackass.” 😂
Whether you're deep in the man-cub years or just starting your journey, this episode is packed with love, wisdom, and the gentle reminder that we’re all doing our best.
🎙 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform 📘 Grab the book: Mothers of Boys Survival Guide 🌐 Join the community: MothersOfBoys.life
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mom Knows Best (00:00):
A Mother’s Day Chat with My Kindergarten Teacher Mom
Welcome to the Mothers of Boys Survival Guide podcast. Thank you so much for joining us today
for a very special Mother’s Day episode. Every mom’s journey is unique and every
child is different, but the questions we face as moms are surprisingly timeless.
(00:25):
Every week, we try to answer our listeners’ questions by talking with the experts.
I’m Cheryl Bond, and I’m joined by Suzy Shaw, my good friend and author of the popular book Mothers
of Boys Survival Guide.Hey, Sooz.
Hello, Cheryl.I don’t know about you,
but sometimes Mother’s Day was just a real zoo. One of the stories in my book is called Mudder’s
(00:52):
Day—because that’s how my boys pronounced it when they were young: “Mudder.” It was such
a crazy day, and I have shared that story on the mothersofboys.life website, so that everyone can
have a good laugh. It’s right out of the book. Go check it out if you need some entertainment.
(01:15):
I also talk about my mom a lot in the book, and she is with us today for this very,
very special Mother’s Day podcast. Mom, welcome!
Barbie Shaw (aka “Mom”): Good morning, ladies! How are you doing? (01:25):
undefined
One of our best guests ever!
Thank you. Goodness!
So, my mom, Barbie Shaw—aka Nana, sometimes Nana Dana—has seen it
all. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher and then had myself and my brother,
(01:50):
Steve. And One of my mom’s rules that helped me when the kids were little was:
Never argue—distract. So, Mom, did you learn that teaching kindergarten?
“Distract” was very good. You know, change the subject. Sing a song. Get into a conversation.
(02:12):
Keep going—“Let’s go! What are we doing?”Suzy: And that was a kindergarten strategy?
Yeah. Do a finger play. Get them interested in their fingers—or change the direction.
“My hands touch just myself.” That was my favorite for kindergarten.
(02:38):
Can you elaborate on that a little bit?
Kindergarteners love to touch themselves—and everybody near them—and they just cannot
keep to themselves. And so I always had them touch their self and say,
“My hands touch just myself.” And we got so we meant it,
(02:59):
and I could just go like this [gestures and touches shoulders], and they would say it.
So, Mom, there are lots of stories that we heard from your time in
kindergarten. And I asked my cousin Janice which one was her favorite,
and she said hers was the story—and maybe you can tell it now—of when you
(03:22):
were teaching or student teaching, and you had the Principal come in and watch your class?
The Supervisor was there that day, and I had this dear little boy—and he had a glass eye. And only
I knew it. None of the children knew anything about it. And they were all sitting there with
(03:45):
the Supervisor looking, and the little girl said, “Ms. Shaw! Michael put his eye in his mouth!”
And I said, “Michael, put your eye back in this minute!” And went right on with the conversation.
(04:06):
Whatever I was saying—I went on with. And apparently, the Supervisor almost fell over.
Yeah, that’s a good story. There’s lots of good stories in the book. And one of the things that
I thought was really great and created so many memories for your kids was that you would make
just normal, everyday things fun and a big deal. Like you would call a hike a foxy loxy,
(04:36):
or you’d give them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and that was a nicky hokey,
and you would sing songs. And, so, do you remember that song?
Well, nicky hokeys were the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my husband used to fix when
he went in the Air Force to fly an airplane. So we always had nicky hokeys. And we’d sing,
(04:58):
“It’s nicky hokey time! It’s nicky hokey time!”
So Susie, did you do that with your kids? Was that something that was passed down?
I did not necessarily sing “It’s nicky hokey time,” but we definitely would go on foxy loxies
(05:19):
with the kids, which were really just a hike. And the goal was to look for my grandfather’s friend,
Roland Q. Fox—also known as Foxy Loxy—who lived in the woods. So we were always looking
for Foxy Loxy. And we still—whenever we see a red fox—we call him Foxy Loxy.
(05:44):
Yeah, that actually reminds me—I got a little teddy bear, and my kids remember
this- I would get a little teddy bear cookie cutter and make my peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches that way and use little chocolate chips for the eyes and, you know,
different things. And, then you know, there would always be a little surprise underneath.
(06:06):
So… whatever we can do to get them to eat, right?Mm-hmm.
So Mom, you know Dad was in the Air Force when I was little—and my brother was little—and you
were often trying to figure it out by yourself, the whole, you know, young mother thing. Do you
have any advice for military moms or moms who are trying to figure out how to be a mom early?
(06:34):
Well, I just think you put one foot in front of the other and go slowly out the door. It’s
just—you know, you’ve got it all, and you take it all and go with it. Just… you know, to keep
your kids happy—that was important. And by keeping them happy, I was happy. So, it’s just that way.
(06:58):
Was there a secret to keeping them happy?
Keeping them busy. My children needed to be busy. But I wasn’t a creative mother that sat them down
to crayon and cut and paste and all that. I’d take them out in the woods and collect acorns,
(07:20):
or something like that. My kids were… we liked to go outside a lot. And, we,
you know, they learned the names of leaves. I just liked to keep them busy—to keep myself busy.
Mm-hmm. Well, that’s good advice. Is there a
(07:40):
Mother’s Day that stands out to you throughout the years?
My children were determined, this one year, to have a very special Mother’s
Day. And I heard them making plans with the backyard neighbor. They had four kids,
I had two. And they were planning. So, I heard them out in my yard picking all my flowers,
(08:03):
so they could decorate the back porch with all my flowers—which I was really liking,
and I didn’t want ‘em picked. Anyway, they were decorating—they had them hanging from the top
of the ceiling. They also planned a morning invasion. So, they secretly got up—and they
(08:26):
didn’t know how to do much secretly—and they went to the kitchen and began to make pancakes with
batter and milk and eggs and this and that. And they also emptied the cat food. Somehow the cat
food got mixed in and it just nauseated me.And by the time I got to eat my one pancake,
(08:48):
the four backyard kids and their mother and father and Jim and I had it… it was
exhausting. And so when it was all over—and I cleaned it all up. But, that was Mother’s Day.
It’s gotten better since then.
Mother’s Day scared the hell out of me after that.
(09:12):
I agree. Mudder’s Day—the wheels could totally come off the bus.
Oh my. It was six children trying their hardest.
So Mom, I call the stage - one of the stages of the kids -the man cub stage.
(09:34):
And that was really the toughest for me. And a man cub was really a teenager
that is man-sized but still incredibly immature, and has a boy brain. And so,
what was the hardest stage for you raising kids, and what are your lessons learned?
Well, we had just moved to a new house, I think, when Steve was getting to that age. And,
(10:01):
he had not formed his friends. You know, they had,
in the new neighborhood, he didn’t have a lot of friends. So, that everytime we went out,
we felt like we were leaving him. So we would stay at home more. It was difficult for him.
So, I do remember that stage. That he spent a lot of time trying to straighten his hair.
(10:26):
And if you look at my hair, it’s the kind of hair that doesn’t straighten. And so,
he spent a lot of time trying to get ready for school with straight hair like everyone else.
I feel the whole straight-hair thing, and I had moments when I tried to straighten my hair, too.
(10:47):
So, thank you for giving Steve and I curly hair!So, Mom, one of our listeners has a son that’s a
biter. Do you have any advice for dealing with a child that bites?
Well, I had a really distinct feeling about it—because I had
(11:10):
a biter. I had a biter. He used to bite you! But anyway, I finally just said,
“What you do is you bite him back! Then they feel what they’re doing”. They don’t know that feel,
they just want to do it. So, I bit him back and that seemed to end the cycle.
Good job!
(11:34):
Definitely, not politically correct, but an effective method.
You’re right. I don’t think people would like it in this day and age.
So this is kind of a big question, but I am sure you’ve thought about it throughout the years,
as your kids grow. Is there -was there any one particular lesson that you consider the most
(11:56):
important that you taught your children? I mean, you have great kids - you have two great kids.
Well, I do.
So there’s lots of great lessons you’ve taught them,
but was there any that was a priority for you that stand out?
Well, each of them had a little lesson in honesty. And that was one,
(12:20):
and they - we made it known that was not acceptable at all. And after that,
honesty and loving and being good to each other, and to our friends, that’s important still.
I agree. Honesty and love.
(12:40):
And you and Dad are some of the best friends I think anybody could ever have—and
that really taught myself and my brother how to
be a good friend in order to have good friends. So, I appreciate that lesson.
(13:01):
We had a book and it was called Peter Painter? And it was all about to have
friends, you have to be a good friend. And I guess that’s what
you remember the most. About a deer. It was about a little boy and a deer.
(13:22):
And what do you think boys need most from their moms,
since this is primarily a podcast for mothers of boys?
I think honestly, that they need a lot of love, more than you would think.
But after that, I would say—food! They need FOOD. You just keep feeding them.
(13:43):
That’s a very, very good tip. So, Mom, my son who is called “Ernest” in the
book—was your first grandchild. And you were on hand at both of my boys'
deliveries. What did it feel like to watch new life come into the world?
(14:05):
I think it was the most wonderful moment of my life. Watching Jack born—and Will too—but Jack was
the first. I just think I felt, “Wonderful!” Like, there is a God. I mean, how can this happen in any
other way? And I still adore that moment. I was sitting right there and it wasn’t - it just - they
(14:33):
didn’t just hand me the baby. He was just there, coming out, and just gorgeous, as fine, and
wonderful. And I told him he was my favorite... and then I told all the rest of them that they
were my favorites, too. They are my favorites. There is no difference. They are all my favorites.
(14:55):
And they know that they are your favorites. And they would testify to it.
So, your imagination, especially when the kids were little,
you would take them to a little bridge and play Pooh sticks. And you would just lay on
the bridge and watch the stream and drop sticks in the water. And you had sort of
(15:20):
five grandchildren that you were doing all of that with. What do you think the traditions
are that you did with them that you hope that they will do with the next generation?
Oh my! Well, Pooh sticks came right from Winnie the Pooh. And, I think Winnie the
(15:40):
Pooh taught a lot of us that- the fact that you imagine, that you relax, and watch things
float off. And, I didn’t make a big scene over everything. Those kids, some of them would
just look at it, throw more in. And others would pretend they were fish, get a pretend fishing rod,
(16:06):
and fish away. And sometimes the dogs got involved with it. It was a pleasurable time.
I did that with my children, as well. ‘Cause we were very big Winnie the Pooh
fans. And you can learn a lot of lessons from Winnie the Pooh and his friends.
Absolutely! And in fact, I used to sing every night, Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers.
(16:30):
And I would sing it, and sing it, and sing it, so that Jack would go to sleep. And I would bounce
him up and down and sing it. And finally, he says, “Enough Nana, enough.” Oh Gosh.
What was it? What was that? I don’t remember that.
(Sings) Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers. God bless Mommy. I know that's
(16:51):
right. Wasn't it fun in the bath to-night? The cold's so cold, the hot's so hot. God
bless Nana - I quite forgot. Open my fingers a little bit more, I see Nana's dressing-gown on
the door. It’s a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood. God bless Nana and make her good.
(17:14):
On and on and on and they’d just say, “Enough!”
Awww - but I bet he’ll sing that song to his children now.
He does. I think Suzy does, too. I’m sorry I don’t think you intend for me to sing today.
We knew singing was quite a possibility.
How was being a Grandmother different than- from being a mom?
(17:38):
It was easier. You just held back and tried to let my children handle their children. I
tried not to interfere—but I always was having fun with them. I hope they’ll
remember me as someone they had fun with. And, it was different, it was different.
(17:58):
Less responsibility, but you still have the same anxious feelings. You know, when someone was sick,
you’re most caring about it.So, I love being a Grandmother.
That’s a very special relationship, I think. A Grandmother and the Grandchildren. And you
can have such an influence on them and it just provides so much love,
(18:22):
safety, guidance, wisdom. So, that’s wonderful that you have time with them.
Did you have any traditions? When you were younger, did your family have traditions?
Everything was Thanksgiving. I mean, we just made a big deal over Thanksgiving. And we always had
a hike and we always had to take an apple along and to eat it. And we like to be with
(18:49):
my family and/ or Jim’s family. Try to get as much family. We did a little Thanksgiving. And
Christmas. Santa Claus visited us several times.It was just amazing when Suzy, this one who wrote
the book, looked at Santa and said, “Mommy, Santa has a ring just like my Daddy.” That
(19:15):
was very insightful, Suzy!What are the chances!
So Mom, we ask each one of our guests to share a motto or a thought that - for moms that they
(19:36):
can say to themselves. So, when you were trying to navigate some of the, you know,
the craziness of being a mom, what motto did you say to yourself during those times?
You really want to know?
I do, Yeah.
I always said, “Patience, patience, little jackass.”
(20:01):
My sister used to say it to me when I was like six, or oh early! She always used to say that to
me. I just passed it on to my children.Well, thanks for that!
Well, you’ve always been - you’ve always been Mrs. Shaw to me.
Thank you!
Yeah. And, It was such a pleasure to have you here today. And you are just full of
(20:27):
joy and you radiate love and you’ve done an amazing job with your family. And you’re just
such a beautiful woman. So, I’m honored to have known you and to have this conversation today..
And I hope you do have a much better Mother's Day
this year than way back when - when all of your flowers were out of your garden.
(20:50):
You know, I have a feeling I was a flower picker, my very self.
Thank you, Mom, for joining us.And, we want to wish all of our
listeners and our members of the MOB—the Mothers of Boys—a very, very Happy Mother’s Day. And hope
that you are feeling the love, and getting the love that you deserve. We love you here!
(21:17):
And thank you all for joining us today.
Follow the MOB on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platform.
Be kind to yourselves, Moms—and have a great week.
A Mother’s Day Chat with My Kindergarten Teacher Mom
Welcome to the Mothers of Boys Survival Guide podcast. Thank you so much for joining us today
for a very special Mother’s Day episode. Every mom’s journey is unique and every
child is different, but the questions we face as moms are surprisingly timeless.
(00:25):
Every week, we try to answer our listeners’ questions by talking with the experts.
I’m Cheryl Bond, and I’m joined by Suzy Shaw, my good friend and author of the popular book Mothers
of Boys Survival Guide.Hey, Sooz.
Hello, Cheryl.I don’t know about you,
but sometimes Mother’s Day was just a real zoo. One of the stories in my book is called Mudder’s
(00:52):
Day—because that’s how my boys pronounced it when they were young: “Mudder.” It was such
a crazy day, and I have shared that story on the mothersofboys.life website, so that everyone can
have a good laugh. It’s right out of the book. Go check it out if you need some entertainment.
(01:15):
I also talk about my mom a lot in the book, and she is with us today for this very,
very special Mother’s Day podcast. Mom, welcome!
Barbie Shaw (aka “Mom”): Good morning, ladies! How are you doing? (01:25):
undefined
One of our best guests ever!
Thank you. Goodness!
So, my mom, Barbie Shaw—aka Nana, sometimes Nana Dana—has seen it
all. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher and then had myself and my brother,
(01:50):
Steve. And One of my mom’s rules that helped me when the kids were little was:
Never argue—distract. So, Mom, did you learn that teaching kindergarten?
“Distract” was very good. You know, change the subject. Sing a song. Get into a conversation.
(02:12):
Keep going—“Let’s go! What are we doing?”Suzy: And that was a kindergarten strategy?
Yeah. Do a finger play. Get them interested in their fingers—or change the direction.
“My hands touch just myself.” That was my favorite for kindergarten.
(02:38):
Can you elaborate on that a little bit?
Kindergarteners love to touch themselves—and everybody near them—and they just cannot
keep to themselves. And so I always had them touch their self and say,
“My hands touch just myself.” And we got so we meant it,
(02:59):
and I could just go like this [gestures and touches shoulders], and they would say it.
So, Mom, there are lots of stories that we heard from your time in
kindergarten. And I asked my cousin Janice which one was her favorite,
and she said hers was the story—and maybe you can tell it now—of when you
(03:22):
were teaching or student teaching, and you had the Principal come in and watch your class?
The Supervisor was there that day, and I had this dear little boy—and he had a glass eye. And only
I knew it. None of the children knew anything about it. And they were all sitting there with
(03:45):
the Supervisor looking, and the little girl said, “Ms. Shaw! Michael put his eye in his mouth!”
And I said, “Michael, put your eye back in this minute!” And went right on with the conversation.
(04:06):
Whatever I was saying—I went on with. And apparently, the Supervisor almost fell over.
Yeah, that’s a good story. There’s lots of good stories in the book. And one of the things that
I thought was really great and created so many memories for your kids was that you would make
just normal, everyday things fun and a big deal. Like you would call a hike a foxy loxy,
(04:36):
or you’d give them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and that was a nicky hokey,
and you would sing songs. And, so, do you remember that song?
Well, nicky hokeys were the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my husband used to fix when
he went in the Air Force to fly an airplane. So we always had nicky hokeys. And we’d sing,
(04:58):
“It’s nicky hokey time! It’s nicky hokey time!”
So Susie, did you do that with your kids? Was that something that was passed down?
I did not necessarily sing “It’s nicky hokey time,” but we definitely would go on foxy loxies
(05:19):
with the kids, which were really just a hike. And the goal was to look for my grandfather’s friend,
Roland Q. Fox—also known as Foxy Loxy—who lived in the woods. So we were always looking
for Foxy Loxy. And we still—whenever we see a red fox—we call him Foxy Loxy.
(05:44):
Yeah, that actually reminds me—I got a little teddy bear, and my kids remember
this- I would get a little teddy bear cookie cutter and make my peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches that way and use little chocolate chips for the eyes and, you know,
different things. And, then you know, there would always be a little surprise underneath.
(06:06):
So… whatever we can do to get them to eat, right?Mm-hmm.
So Mom, you know Dad was in the Air Force when I was little—and my brother was little—and you
were often trying to figure it out by yourself, the whole, you know, young mother thing. Do you
have any advice for military moms or moms who are trying to figure out how to be a mom early?
(06:34):
Well, I just think you put one foot in front of the other and go slowly out the door. It’s
just—you know, you’ve got it all, and you take it all and go with it. Just… you know, to keep
your kids happy—that was important. And by keeping them happy, I was happy. So, it’s just that way.
(06:58):
Was there a secret to keeping them happy?
Keeping them busy. My children needed to be busy. But I wasn’t a creative mother that sat them down
to crayon and cut and paste and all that. I’d take them out in the woods and collect acorns,
(07:20):
or something like that. My kids were… we liked to go outside a lot. And, we,
you know, they learned the names of leaves. I just liked to keep them busy—to keep myself busy.
Mm-hmm. Well, that’s good advice. Is there a
(07:40):
Mother’s Day that stands out to you throughout the years?
My children were determined, this one year, to have a very special Mother’s
Day. And I heard them making plans with the backyard neighbor. They had four kids,
I had two. And they were planning. So, I heard them out in my yard picking all my flowers,
(08:03):
so they could decorate the back porch with all my flowers—which I was really liking,
and I didn’t want ‘em picked. Anyway, they were decorating—they had them hanging from the top
of the ceiling. They also planned a morning invasion. So, they secretly got up—and they
(08:26):
didn’t know how to do much secretly—and they went to the kitchen and began to make pancakes with
batter and milk and eggs and this and that. And they also emptied the cat food. Somehow the cat
food got mixed in and it just nauseated me.And by the time I got to eat my one pancake,
(08:48):
the four backyard kids and their mother and father and Jim and I had it… it was
exhausting. And so when it was all over—and I cleaned it all up. But, that was Mother’s Day.
It’s gotten better since then.
Mother’s Day scared the hell out of me after that.
(09:12):
I agree. Mudder’s Day—the wheels could totally come off the bus.
Oh my. It was six children trying their hardest.
So Mom, I call the stage - one of the stages of the kids -the man cub stage.
(09:34):
And that was really the toughest for me. And a man cub was really a teenager
that is man-sized but still incredibly immature, and has a boy brain. And so,
what was the hardest stage for you raising kids, and what are your lessons learned?
Well, we had just moved to a new house, I think, when Steve was getting to that age. And,
(10:01):
he had not formed his friends. You know, they had,
in the new neighborhood, he didn’t have a lot of friends. So, that everytime we went out,
we felt like we were leaving him. So we would stay at home more. It was difficult for him.
So, I do remember that stage. That he spent a lot of time trying to straighten his hair.
(10:26):
And if you look at my hair, it’s the kind of hair that doesn’t straighten. And so,
he spent a lot of time trying to get ready for school with straight hair like everyone else.
I feel the whole straight-hair thing, and I had moments when I tried to straighten my hair, too.
(10:47):
So, thank you for giving Steve and I curly hair!So, Mom, one of our listeners has a son that’s a
biter. Do you have any advice for dealing with a child that bites?
Well, I had a really distinct feeling about it—because I had
(11:10):
a biter. I had a biter. He used to bite you! But anyway, I finally just said,
“What you do is you bite him back! Then they feel what they’re doing”. They don’t know that feel,
they just want to do it. So, I bit him back and that seemed to end the cycle.
Good job!
(11:34):
Definitely, not politically correct, but an effective method.
You’re right. I don’t think people would like it in this day and age.
So this is kind of a big question, but I am sure you’ve thought about it throughout the years,
as your kids grow. Is there -was there any one particular lesson that you consider the most
(11:56):
important that you taught your children? I mean, you have great kids - you have two great kids.
Well, I do.
So there’s lots of great lessons you’ve taught them,
but was there any that was a priority for you that stand out?
Well, each of them had a little lesson in honesty. And that was one,
(12:20):
and they - we made it known that was not acceptable at all. And after that,
honesty and loving and being good to each other, and to our friends, that’s important still.
I agree. Honesty and love.
(12:40):
And you and Dad are some of the best friends I think anybody could ever have—and
that really taught myself and my brother how to
be a good friend in order to have good friends. So, I appreciate that lesson.
(13:01):
We had a book and it was called Peter Painter? And it was all about to have
friends, you have to be a good friend. And I guess that’s what
you remember the most. About a deer. It was about a little boy and a deer.
(13:22):
And what do you think boys need most from their moms,
since this is primarily a podcast for mothers of boys?
I think honestly, that they need a lot of love, more than you would think.
But after that, I would say—food! They need FOOD. You just keep feeding them.
(13:43):
That’s a very, very good tip. So, Mom, my son who is called “Ernest” in the
book—was your first grandchild. And you were on hand at both of my boys'
deliveries. What did it feel like to watch new life come into the world?
(14:05):
I think it was the most wonderful moment of my life. Watching Jack born—and Will too—but Jack was
the first. I just think I felt, “Wonderful!” Like, there is a God. I mean, how can this happen in any
other way? And I still adore that moment. I was sitting right there and it wasn’t - it just - they
(14:33):
didn’t just hand me the baby. He was just there, coming out, and just gorgeous, as fine, and
wonderful. And I told him he was my favorite... and then I told all the rest of them that they
were my favorites, too. They are my favorites. There is no difference. They are all my favorites.
(14:55):
And they know that they are your favorites. And they would testify to it.
So, your imagination, especially when the kids were little,
you would take them to a little bridge and play Pooh sticks. And you would just lay on
the bridge and watch the stream and drop sticks in the water. And you had sort of
(15:20):
five grandchildren that you were doing all of that with. What do you think the traditions
are that you did with them that you hope that they will do with the next generation?
Oh my! Well, Pooh sticks came right from Winnie the Pooh. And, I think Winnie the
(15:40):
Pooh taught a lot of us that- the fact that you imagine, that you relax, and watch things
float off. And, I didn’t make a big scene over everything. Those kids, some of them would
just look at it, throw more in. And others would pretend they were fish, get a pretend fishing rod,
(16:06):
and fish away. And sometimes the dogs got involved with it. It was a pleasurable time.
I did that with my children, as well. ‘Cause we were very big Winnie the Pooh
fans. And you can learn a lot of lessons from Winnie the Pooh and his friends.
Absolutely! And in fact, I used to sing every night, Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers.
(16:30):
And I would sing it, and sing it, and sing it, so that Jack would go to sleep. And I would bounce
him up and down and sing it. And finally, he says, “Enough Nana, enough.” Oh Gosh.
What was it? What was that? I don’t remember that.
(Sings) Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers. God bless Mommy. I know that's
(16:51):
right. Wasn't it fun in the bath to-night? The cold's so cold, the hot's so hot. God
bless Nana - I quite forgot. Open my fingers a little bit more, I see Nana's dressing-gown on
the door. It’s a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood. God bless Nana and make her good.
(17:14):
On and on and on and they’d just say, “Enough!”
Awww - but I bet he’ll sing that song to his children now.
He does. I think Suzy does, too. I’m sorry I don’t think you intend for me to sing today.
We knew singing was quite a possibility.
How was being a Grandmother different than- from being a mom?
(17:38):
It was easier. You just held back and tried to let my children handle their children. I
tried not to interfere—but I always was having fun with them. I hope they’ll
remember me as someone they had fun with. And, it was different, it was different.
(17:58):
Less responsibility, but you still have the same anxious feelings. You know, when someone was sick,
you’re most caring about it.So, I love being a Grandmother.
That’s a very special relationship, I think. A Grandmother and the Grandchildren. And you
can have such an influence on them and it just provides so much love,
(18:22):
safety, guidance, wisdom. So, that’s wonderful that you have time with them.
Did you have any traditions? When you were younger, did your family have traditions?
Everything was Thanksgiving. I mean, we just made a big deal over Thanksgiving. And we always had
a hike and we always had to take an apple along and to eat it. And we like to be with
(18:49):
my family and/ or Jim’s family. Try to get as much family. We did a little Thanksgiving. And
Christmas. Santa Claus visited us several times.It was just amazing when Suzy, this one who wrote
the book, looked at Santa and said, “Mommy, Santa has a ring just like my Daddy.” That
(19:15):
was very insightful, Suzy!What are the chances!
So Mom, we ask each one of our guests to share a motto or a thought that - for moms that they
(19:36):
can say to themselves. So, when you were trying to navigate some of the, you know,
the craziness of being a mom, what motto did you say to yourself during those times?
You really want to know?
I do, Yeah.
I always said, “Patience, patience, little jackass.”
(20:01):
My sister used to say it to me when I was like six, or oh early! She always used to say that to
me. I just passed it on to my children.Well, thanks for that!
Well, you’ve always been - you’ve always been Mrs. Shaw to me.
Thank you!
Yeah. And, It was such a pleasure to have you here today. And you are just full of
(20:27):
joy and you radiate love and you’ve done an amazing job with your family. And you’re just
such a beautiful woman. So, I’m honored to have known you and to have this conversation today..
And I hope you do have a much better Mother's Day
this year than way back when - when all of your flowers were out of your garden.
(20:50):
You know, I have a feeling I was a flower picker, my very self.
Thank you, Mom, for joining us.And, we want to wish all of our
listeners and our members of the MOB—the Mothers of Boys—a very, very Happy Mother’s Day. And hope
that you are feeling the love, and getting the love that you deserve. We love you here!
(21:17):
And thank you all for joining us today.
Follow the MOB on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platform.
Be kind to yourselves, Moms—and have a great week.
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