'Sylvies girl'

Today in Tesco's I saw a couple of mothers & daughters of various generations, new mum & fussy new granny, 30? & middle aged mum discussing problems of teenagers, & daughter with elderly mum ~~ and I was so jealous!! I hope they treasure what they have.
All my life I was known as 'Sylvies girl' or 'Sylvies daughter'.It didn't bother me too much as a kid, despite being farmed out to babysit or run errands for Mums friends, but as I became a teenager I started to resent the way I was seen as an unnamed extension to my Mum. Oh, I didn't mind the ever increasing demands on my 'free' time, what I objected to was not being me ~ with a name!!This lead to a lot of friction at home, & with the changing of the age of majority from 21 to 18 just weeks after my 18th birthday, I realised I could leave home & 'find' myself,~ which I did by taking a summer job as far from home as I could get!. The day I was leaving, mum came with me to the local station, when the train arrived she decided to come with me to the main station,~ I realised later she was hoping I would change my mind. When I boarded the train that would take me to my new life, I had no thoughts that Mum would miss me, yet despite the fact we had fought like cat & dog for the last couple of years, we were actually very close. I think I knew as the train pulled out, that despite the this being just a summer job, I would not be returning to the family home at the end of the season~ I would find a way to stay or move on to pastures new ~ the world was mine! This was very daring for a girl in the 60's!!!
I revelled in being ME ~my own person, & the summer flew by. I decided to stay in the area as I'd made friends ~ I only went back 'home' for visits, and every time I again became 'Sylvies girl', but my relationship with Mum had changed~ we were best friends, & it didn't really bother me then.
Strangely, 15 years after I left home, Mum & Dad decided to move to a town near me, & as my marriage was ending, it was Mum who was the best friend who helped me through the trauma( that's another story). Within a year of Mum & Dad settling in the area, not only was I divorced, but I had moved to 'their' town & we all worked together(my part time 2nd job, as I had 2 teenage boys to put through college!)~ but once again I had become 'Sylvies girl' but by now I was resigned to it!!~ I no longer resented it, mum was my bessie mate~ we laughed, cried, argued, dyed & permed each others hair( with varying results~there's trust for you!!)we shared everything & saw each other everyday ~ these were very happy years.
It's Mums Birthday today ~she would have been 78 ~ sadly, we lost her to Cancer 10 years ago. At her funeral, someone who had known me for years asked me what my name was ~ they only knew me as 'Sylvies girl'!!

How many times in the last 10 years I would have given anything to be 'Sylvies girl' again~even just for a minute.