From the moment my first born was placed in my arms I became a different person. I don’t mean a mother, or a more caring individual, nor do I mean a stay at home carer. No, I became a lioness. 
In the early days if I heard someone criticize comment, on how early my child woke, or how clingy or shy she was, I went from peaceful and happy to incensed and defensive in a matter of seconds.
I can remember on one occasion a new teacher keeping my son in late, because he hadn’t written his homework down quickly enough. He was eight years old. My son has dyslexia and transcribing anything from the board was a time consuming job. Other teachers had either given him extra time or else written it out themselves for him. When after ten minutes there was no sign of him, I asked his friend where he was. He said “Oh he has to stay back because he’s too slow at writing”.
Well I didn’t even wait for the red mist of fury to hit. I took off like a rocket and “explained” to that teacher just what a fine teacher I thought he was, to be able in just one short week, to teach my son his short comings and to draw attention to them in front of his classmates. I also suggested he must be so proud to be such a good teacher, as no other teacher had managed to teach him any such a lesson.
There were a number of other incidents over the years, where rightly or wrongly I felt anger and slight at someones expressed “opinion” on my child. However I had thought I had begun to mellow. In the recent past I have been more forgiving of others if they criticized my children, and their opinions mattered less to me.
Then the other weekend I was tested once more.
It was a Friday night. My daughter was all dressed up to go out. She and her friends were going to a ball and she looked particularly lovely. She is twenty two now and as with all youth when you see them dressed up they look beautiful.
We arrived at the venue and the girls got out of the car. My daughter leaned across and kissed me goodbye. In that moment I felt so proud to see how my young baby had matured. Yet, regardless of the hairdo, makeup and dress, she was and always would be my child.
As she and her friends walked towards the front door of the hotel a car drove towards me in the car park. In it
was a man of “mature years”. He stopped his car and stared at the girls as they walked past. As he turned his head to continue to oogle them I felt that old familiar feeling. I drew my car level with his window. As the girls disappeared from view he turned his head back and as he did so met my gaze. Eyeball to eyeball, less than two feet from his window. In a split second he understood all that my face was saying to him. He quickly turned away and drove off.
As he did so I smiled to myself. I had missed that old familiar feeling. My children may be growing up, but I still had the killer instinct. I was still a lioness.
Leering men be warned. This mama can and will bite.
photo credit: ucumari via photopin cc
photo credit: StefaniaVS via
My thoughts on a page. 
Get ’em, Mamma!
Raaarrrrrr 🙂
Your instinct will tell you if you have to bite. When it does, do so. Hard. I recognized myself in this, Tric – currently fighting my instinct to protect Bigfoot from his own choices in life, and not doing well.
It is so very hard. I hope you get there in the end. I think it is the hardest thing in the world to watch them make their own mistakes.
I have chewed one arm off already, and still manage to smile at the cause of the problem. Never complain, never explain, as Lizzie says…
Mind that other arm. You might need it yet.
I did feel in same way, when my kids lived at home. The lion shows up sometimes yet 😀
It is perhaps in all of us mamas when we are pushed.
Yes you are right. We just want to protect our kids 😉
Oooh I know that feeling Tric. I get mad with people’s disapproving glances when the kids act up when we’re out. Love the way you put that teacher straight!
Hear us roar Olivia!
I’m with you 100%, Tric! My kids laughingly call me “Mama Bear”, but in my heart, I love the title.
Threaten my cubs, and you will be the worse for it.
Yes it is a lovely title. I too am happy to roar when needed. Not quite as often as I used to but at least I know I still can, just like yourself.
Love it!!
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Hell yes!!!!! I can hear you roar from here!
I’d say your well able to bite yourself if necessary. 🙂
😉 and have.
Ahhhhh…I know that feeling all too well 😉
i am mama, hear me roar!!!
Love it!
What a creeper! Nice to show him who is boss.
I think I made my point very clear alright. 🙂
No matter how old they get, the Mama Lion comes out when our babies are threatened or hurt. Then, watch out world! It doesn’t seem possible, but Grandma Lion is even more vicious!
Oh I have seen Grandma Lion in action and she is not something you could ignore. Good to know we never grow out of it.
Yeah Mom!!! I sent this to my daughter on facebook (which she has little time for with the 3 little ones) and I will call her to read it. With her growing up Southern (father’s family) and the whole “be sweet” thing then being the only American in a town of 3,000 Irish, she is a bit intimidated. She called crying one day because the school had called because her 4 yo had thrown food, I told her it was not abnormal for him to do this and I wanted to call the school (she won’t give me the number, Grandmother Lion).
Ha ha. I can hear you roar, for both your daughter and your grandson!
:-)……I do scare a few individuals in the town (they know who I am). There is a lovely pub in town with a wonderful restaurant best in town, so last I was there I took my daughter out to dinner, checked times for restaurant etc, when we got there the owners wife said the restaurant wasn’t open (she’s not fond of me, her husband is a flirt and he flirts with me, I’ve done nothing) she said we could sit in the pub it’s noisy and we had dressed up, I pointed out the sign with the restaurant times and she let us in and we had a lovely dinner..served by my son-in-law’s friend who did his best not to laugh at the wife. Wonderful dinner. Another Ugly American..lol. But the husband did come by a flirt a bit. Saw her in town later in the week, I’d be dead if looks could kill and I told her “get over it, you’ve been married to the man 30 years”.