You can't spell smother without "mother"

I'm a mother in every sense of the word. Both the noun and the verb. Case in point:

I was on my way to the toilet at work (where I’ve barely been a week, keep in mind... the job, not the toilet) and there was someone coming out of the kitchen. Don’t get me started on the locations of both places. Anyway, this guy, who I’m sure I was introduced to but whose name I’ve promptly forgotten, came out holding a can of pop. He sheepishly said to me as I passed “I was thirsty.”

It was small talk because we were in a narrow hallway going in opposite directions so I’m sure he didn’t expect the (s)mothering answer I gave: “Well you should be drinking water, then. It’s better for you.”

Yaaargh! Really? This is a complete stranger at a job where I haven’t even been working seven days. But the comment came out just like I was talking to one of my kids. Obviously you can give a mother a full time job out of the house but you can’t stop her from mothering once she gets there. Mothers. Driving people crazy since the dawn of time. And she doesn’t even have to be yours. Or know you in any way.

Hoo boy…

kxx