"Mama Bear" with a Law Degree

This week I had to come to the defense of my oldest son.  My husband said to me “ ‘down lawyer’ . . . just be mom for a minute.” Well, mom is “mama bear,” I think they’d rather deal with the lawyer. The lawyer will be rational, and composed. Mom will attack and defend . . .to the death!

In all seriousness, I thought about what he said. What he wanted me to do was separate my selves, and be who I needed to be, at that moment. I don’t know if I can do that, completely. A veteran lawyer told me recently, that I won’t be able to separate myself from being a lawyer anymore. It IS who I am now. And she is right. I see liability everywhere I go, from the askew grates at the ballpark that will allow a small child to slip through, or an adult to twist an ankle; to the ice in the parking lot of my favorite grocery store that was a “slip and fall” waiting to happen, risk aversion is ingrained in my thought processes.

But, not everyone is going to know, nor do they need to know that I'm a lawyer. Flaunting my bar license is not what I'll do, but using it to my advantage when ethically and legally appropriate, I will. There are a lot of bullies and crooks out there!

My oldest son (18 yo) thinks it’s cool, my oldest daughter (just days from turning 17), not so much. She has to stringently follow the curfew laws even though her younger friends don’t. It may be that their parents are unaware of the curfew, or just don’t care. It doesn’t matter. She will be IN the house, NOT on the way home, no later than 11:59 p, if that late. It’s the Law.

I “yam” what I “yam.” (Corny, I know, but I love Popeye!)  I wasn’t born a mother, but I am one now, and it’s ingrained in my DNA. My instincts are now controlled by the mother in me. I wasn’t born a lawyer, but I am one now.  My thoughts are now controlled by my legal training. My first reaction will always be to protect my children, my next reaction will always be “what does the law say?” It makes me “heck” to deal with.

A “mama bear” with a law degree .  .  . watch out!