Motherhood happens at 2 a.m. It’s not necessarily known for its convenience.

{Let me just say that, yeah, it happens at 2 p.m. too, during moments that were planned for, but right now we’re going to talk about the 2 a.m. motherhood because that’s the motherhood where the rubber meets the road.}

It’ll happen when your child is tenths of a second away from crying out into the night. You’ll wake up right before the peel of her thunder because you detect the storm the same way dogs and horses do before tornadoes. In those few ticks before she cries, your body becomes alert and ready to field what’s coming. You’re tired and spent and honestly haven’t felt like your batteries have been adequately charged in about 10 years, but right now none of that matters because this is what you are here for. You are here to be a mom.