Deciding: Am I a Full-Fledged Mom Yet?

It's funny, how we perceive our roles in life. It's even funnier how we determine how successful we are in those roles.

For example, when I was a not-quite-teenager, I remember watching my mom cut apples. We had apples all the time--after school snacks, the "fruit" at a quick dinner, alongside popcorn, cheese slices, and saltines on Sunday movie nights--there were always apples.

I never quite appreciated what it takes to cut, core, and slice an apple quickly and neatly until I tried doing it myself. It was basically impossible. To my mom, it was like breathing.

So now, as a mom myself, I find myself rating my apple-cutting skills. I remember the first time I cored the apple without mutilating it. I was ecstatic.

I'm getting quicker at it. It's coming more naturally to me; I can hold a conversation while preparing a little bowl to snack on. I'm already anticipating the day I can get that apple broken down in fifteen seconds flat, with my eyes closed, and probably with both hands tied behind my back (what, a little too much credit, mom? :-) ). I feel like that will be the day that I'll be for real, a capital-M-o-m Mom.

Okay, I'm genuinely interested--what were the little things that define this role for all you other moms out there? What means "Mom" to you? (And let's hope nobody thinks it's being able to fold a fitted sheet, because then I haven't got a hope in the world...)