I've just posted a comment on Jenna's blog about titles for parents, saying that if we're all going to pick the term we'd like to be referred to by, I pick "Enduring Mother".

'Adoptive parent' has always sounded a bit too legal-eze to me ... too little to do with heart and to much to do with paperwork to represent my reality. "Second mom" will not do, as it connotes second best, and although my kids each have a First Mother, I'm not pulling up the rear, nor are our relationships any sort of afterthought.

I'm also as natural as they come, and as real as a rock, but only cop those when I'm accused of being neither.

I like enduring: "Patient or surviving in the face of difficulties" or "Patient and tolerant despite many difficulties". Yep, that sounds like it all right.

Adopting most certainly requires patience, and there are no shortage of difficulties in the process. The process is arduous, the requirements are strenuous and to get through it you must have great tolerance.

I can say exactly the same for the raising of the kids ... patience and tolerance being high on the parenting hit parade of necessary traits.

Plus, enduring sounds a lot like endearing, which feels nice and conveys an image of caring and cared about that I'm thinking my kids will agree with.

So, if we're opening a dialog that is meant to allow every note of the triad to pick a moniker that fits and makes them comfortable with their roll ... and I'm totally in favor of the idea ... I'm going for "Enduring Mother" for mine.

Of course, in real life ... the life that gets lived off the Internet amongst my living, breathing children and the family that surrounds us all ... I'm Mommy, and I rarely go more than two or three minutes between being reminded of the title that counts.

I'm rather in demand, you see, and seeing as how I'm about to be 56 it seems one more reason to notice how darned enduring I am.

What would you choose?