Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What Does Mother's Day Mean To You?


I recently noticed an article about Mother's Day entitled "Taking Mother's Day Back" floating around on facebook.  The general idea, in case you don't want to head to the link and read it yourself, was that Mother's Day is just another day for moms to have to work (cleaning up the breakfast her kids made for her, trimming  and tending to the flowers that are given to her, etc) and that we should take back the day for ourselves.  She suggested an "anti-Mother's Day."   She states, "For one day, all I want is to be left alone and not be a mother."

Ok, so don't get me wrong, as she continues, I can see her point.  I totally feel her when she says that for once, she wants to sleep in (hallelujah!), not do laundry, wipe noses or behinds, etc.  I have my days when I literally pull my hair and scream, "I need a break!"  You all read my last post - things aren't always rosy in my world.  Motherhood is not always simple, glamorous or magical.  

That said...I absolutely do not want to be left alone on Mother's Day.  I want to spend every second I can with my 2 sweet babies.  I waited for so many years to get to celebrate this special day as a mom.  I dreamed of the things I could do, and those always included little smiling faces.  I imagined what it would be like to face that day with a full heart.  Last year, my first Mother's Day as a mom, I did sleep in.  And then I spent the whole day with my family, just relishing the feeling of being a mom.  

I wonder what message it sends as a mom to say "I want nothing to do with you on this day that is set aside to celebrate my special and blessed role as your mom?"  I could not be a mom without those 2 sweet toddlers currently tucked in to their cribs for the night.  They are my gifts, my blessings, my life.  The way I see it, on Mother's Day, I am thanking them for all they bring to me.  I get to be their mom.  

I spend every day being thankful that I have a life that includes enough.  Enough everything - health, food, shelter, safety, unnecessary material things, whatever.  I get to wake up healthy next to my healthy husband listening to my healthy babies babbling (or sometimes crying at me) over their monitors.  Then I have the energy and resources to spend each day with this beautiful family, raising these two precious little people.  All of this is nothing less than amazing.   With all that is scary, painful, and horrific in this world...I get this life.  I don't know why I am this privileged, but I choose not to take it for granted.

So, for me, Mother's Day is a special day to celebrate the dream that I am living, as Jackson's and Addison's mom.  I don't know exactly what I will do that day, but I can assure you it will be spent with my miracles. So, I ask you, what does Mother's Day mean to you?

7 comments:

  1. Loved this!! I feel the exact same way!!!

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  2. Ok I'm in tears! This will be my first mothers day with my babies actually here and I have been doing a lot of thinking about the coming up mothers day. I at times never thought I would get to have this day. I am blessed beyond belief that I will get to wake up that day and spend every last second with them. Wiping dirty butts, snot and all! I wouldn't have it any other way! I get what she was saying as far as a break goes, but I don't want the break from my children. I just want the break from the busyness of every day life!

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  3. I read her blog post and I could not agree with you more. Women do not get to celebrate Mother's Day for merely popping out (and yes, this coming from a woman who went through 10 hours of labor and a c-section) babies. My role as a mom to that kid earns me this day. So, yes, I would like a chill day, an day off from hard work. But not without the person who gives me that special title and the role - not without the person who allows me to be a mother.

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  4. So true!

    Now, would I love to get a gift card for a massage to use some other day? Sure but that is a day to celebrate with your family!

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  5. I'm with you on this! Mother's Day without being a mom? Doesn't even make sense. You know, I must just have a good husband that cleans up after breakfast and trims my flowers for me. For ME, mothers day is about enjoying the beauty of motherhood while getting excused from the cooking and cleaning. Wiping noses and behinds are on my agenda everyday, because soon they won't need me to anymore and quite frankly, I don't mind one bit.

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  6. I'm with you on this! Mother's Day without being a mom? Doesn't even make sense. You know, I must just have a good husband that cleans up after breakfast and trims my flowers for me. For ME, mothers day is about enjoying the beauty of motherhood while getting excused from the cooking and cleaning. Wiping noses and behinds are on my agenda everyday, because soon they won't need me to anymore and quite frankly, I don't mind one bit.

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  7. Its has been my lifes greastest acheivement. Other than loving My God, nothing come close, and there is nothing I wounldn't do for them. Now that my oldest just graduated from College I feel pride knowing I did a good job in bringing her to her best with her effort. No career culd ever match that.

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