I Felt Like a Mom When...

Walking the kids home from school, hauling out a well-worn phrase our moms used, fishing poop out of the bathtub -- any moment can be the one when it dawns on you: you’re a mom. Here, mamas across the country tell us their "aha" moments.

A New Name
I felt like a mom when my son started school and instead of being "Shannon" or "Mrs. Duffy" I was referred to as "Dakota's Mom" on his first day of kindergarten. I remember being taken aback by the reference at first, because this was my new identity set forth by the teacher and a moniker that I had not been referred to as before. That's the exact moment I first felt like a mom.

-- Shannon, mom of two, Palm Springs, CA