I walked out my front door today and saw purple flowers with a flame of yellow. “That’s why they didn’t bloom in April,” I said. “They’re not daffodils, they’re irises.” I had given up hope with these bulbs. The stalks had shot up in the early spring, but when no flower came at the end of daffodil season, I thought they were duds. Not enough sun. I  planted them upside-down. Maybe I left them out in the sun too long before planting. The squirrels must have nibbled them.

“It’s a parable,” my husband said. “Like the ugly duckling.” So many parenting lessons in gardening, aren’t there? Your two year old will not always be a bossy pants. Really, your teenager will outgrow all those hormones. And here’s another: Wait to judge your mother’s parenting until you’ve tried it yourself.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. It’s only now, as a mother myself, that I can appreciate all you’ve done.