Mama: Why I love and loathe that word

Saying that my daughter is a talker is an understatement. She can literally talk 24/7 non-stop. She doesn't even need someone to talk to. She'll ask questions she knows the answer to, simply to hear her own voice. And her sentences almost always begin with the word "Mama."

I literally cannot go to the bathroom or take out the garbage without her trailing after me: "Mama..." and then she launches into some observation, question or general statement. I'm her default person to direct her random thoughts at. And I'll admit it, I've reached the point where hearing the word Mama feels like nails on a chalkboard.

For the longest time, she called me Dada (her first word). When that stopped at around a year and half or so and she'd call me Mama, my heart would swell. I remember when I thought her little voice was so cute. She'd say "Hey Mama," which often reminded me of that Black-Eyed Peas' song of the same name. I miss those days when she'd lift her chubby little arms and nuzzle into me, saying: "I love you the best, Mama."

But now she's almost seven and I'd give anything for her to not talk...just for 10 minutes.

When I feel like I'm ready to go crazy, I remind myself that in a few years she won't want to talk to me at all. "Mom" will be followed with an eye-roll and stomping to her bedroom. She will look at me with disdain and embarrassment. She will give anything not to talk to me. And then I will miss the days when she was almost seven, following me around, talking nonsensically, always starting with the word I love and loathe: Mama.

Is your kid a talker? Does it ever drive you nuts?