Mom Deja Vu

Everyone has experienced Deja Vu at some point in their lives. Lately, I have been experiencing something I can only describe as Mom Deja Vu.

• Every morning, I make a cup of coffee to take in the car as we drive to school. As I loaded up the car and started to back out of the driveway, I immediately was transported back to my childhood. We rode in a carpool with our neighbors. Their mom always had a steaming cup of coffee each morning. As soon as I would climb into the back of their van, the smell of coffee and the car would envelope me. Now, it is me. It is my cup of coffee.
• There are certain books I remember my mom reading to me. Pat the Bunny, The Store Bought Doll, Goodnight Moon, and The Runaway Bunny were a few of my favorites. When Julianne or Jack ask for me to read those books at bedtime, I can remember the way I would curl up next to my mom as she read me a story. Now it is me. I am the one reading the books.
• While shopping at Kroger, I ran across a box of Pillsbury Cherry Turnovers. Growing up, my family would make these treats on the weekend. My brother would always steal the icing and eat every last drop, while my sister and I would roll out the dough and fill them with cherry filling. Now, it is me. I am the one making the turnovers.
• In the 80s, Cabbage Patch kids were all the rage. I wasn’t a big Barbie fan, but I could play with my dolls all day long. I loved rocking the dolls to sleep, feeding them bottles, changing their diapers, and dressing them in outfits. When Julianne and I walked around the American Girl Store, I could see the excitement and joy in her eyes as she carried her doll around the store and looked for a new outfit or accessory. Now, it is me. I am the one buying the dolls for my daughter to enjoy. 

The definition of Deja Vu is a feeling of having already experienced the present situation. According to Psychology Today, “when it occurs, it seems to spark our memory of a place we have already been, a person we have already seen, or an act we have already done.”

Mom Deja Vu is a very similar experience. However, it is only possible because of the things my mom did for me that made the mom I am today. I am so thankful that I have these memories of my mom, my childhood, my siblings, and so many special traditions and experiences.