Mother's Day is a celebration of a single mother who worked her ass off to provide a life for me.
Mother's Day is a celebration of my grandmothers, my aunts, my mother-in-law, my sisters through marriage, and the amazing women I call my friends who I, luckily, get to raise my children alongside.
Mother's Day is a day to honor the women who may not be mothers by conventional means but are mothers nonetheless: women who have other women to give birth to their children, women who are trying to become mothers, adoptive mothers, aunts, grandmothers, brave women who say goodbye to their babies so that another family may take care of them, and women who lose babies or children. If you love a child like your own, I honor you on Mother's Day.
Mother's Day is a difficult day for many who no longer have their mothers around to hug and take to brunch.
Mother's Day is a day to celebrate the single dads who step in and do the jobs of both parents.
Mother's Day is one of the few days a year I honor the job I do as a mother and to marvel at the cool little humans my girls are turning into.
Mother's Day is the day where I take it easy on myself. Instead of the typical criticisms and constant evaluation I lament on myself, I shut my mind off and honor myself with grace. I take off my battle armor and believe that I'm doing everything right. And by right, I mean that I'm doing my best to teach them humility, respect, fairness, and kindness-- especially to themselves-- by showing myself the same courtesy.
Mother's Day isn't about gifts or breakfast in bed or mimosas by a pool (although those are spectacular touches. ahem.)
Mother's Day isn't a day-off from motherhood because we all know that motherhood doesn't include sick or vacation days (someone else getting up at 2am with the baby doesn't hurt. ahem.)
Mother's Day doesn't mean that your kids won't be assholes or throw tantrums or that your youngest babe won't take her full-of-shit diaper off in her crib only to experiment with finger painting for the first time.
Mother's Day is a day to stop focusing on how hard motherhood can feel and to, instead, focus on how lucky we are to be given the opportunity to love and raise babies, to watch them blossom into people with minds of their own and paths to be traveled.
Mother's Day is a day we are reminded how fortunate we are to be their souls' safety net, to be the one whose arms make it all better, to be the one to put Hello Kitty band-aids on imaginary booboos and to kiss hurt feelings all better.
Mother's Day is a day to, most importantly, be eternally grateful to feel the underserved yet unconditional love that our children provide.