In honor of Mother's Day.
It's easy to get caught up in the mommy-game war of comparison. To wonder if you're doing it all right or doing enough or if someone is always doing it better. I wonder how much time the average mom spends worrying about such things. That sucks. We should rally around each other, all the time, no matter what. Who cares if we do things differently in one area or every area? I'll do what works for me & my children & you'll do the same. Whether you co-sleep or have had your baby in their own crib in their own room since day one or spank or do time-outs or eat all organic or feed your kids mac&cheese from the box at least twice a week... I hope we can remember those are not the things that matter most. What matters is you are nurturing and loving and raising up a young soul. You have another's livelihood in your very capable (but very tired) hands, and that is what is important. And I want to take today to tell all the mamas out there--
I SALUTE YOU.
To the new moms, who are covered in spit up and have bags under your eyes and are choosing to not leave the house unless it's an emergency, I SALUTE YOU.
To the veteran moms who have walked the road before us, who have already gone from skinned knees to broken hearts & playing dress-up to real wedding days, who have successfully kicked your young ones from the nest to fly on their own, I SALUTE YOU.
To the clean-freak moms who boil the pacifier each time it falls on the floor and might as well own stock in hand sanitizer, I SALUTE YOU. And to the moms who choose to clean the pacifier with your own mouths and who were well-intentioned enough to buy an extra large bottle of hand sanitizer that only has a few pumps missing months later, I SALUTE YOU. (I also have a large almost-full bottle of hand sanitizer, if anyone wants it...)
To the breastfeeding moms who perpetually smell like milk and stay home more often than you would like because you are afraid of how others will act or your baby always throws off the cover (or is that just mine?) or you just can't get the hang of nursing in public, I SALUTE YOU. And to the mothers who have formula-fed since day one for whatever the reason, I SALUTE YOU, TOO.
To the moms who worry about each sniffle and cough and google every symptom and buy all new clothes and new toys, I SALUTE YOU. And to the moms who never google anything and use all hand-me-downs and forgot diapers on your trip out and had to use a maxi-pad instead, I SALUTE YOU.
To the adoptive moms who have paperwork pregnancies and babies that are born from your hearts instead of your bodies, I SALUTE YOU. I know that you have to endure nosy questions and inappropriate comments and usually do so with a smile and a heart of understanding, except on the days when you've just had enough. Either way, I SALUTE YOU. To the foster moms who walk an extremely hard road of loving children as your own and then saying goodbye when the time comes, I SALUTE YOU.
To the stay-at-home moms, whose days are filled with cooking and cleaning and washing and crafts and wiping noses and wiping tears and changing diapers and changing clothes and stopping fights and whiners and worriers and tea parties and fort-building and about a thousand other things-- I SALUTE YOU. And to the moms who work outside the home and then come home to pick up where you left off with all the things listed above, I SALUTE YOU.
To the single moms, whether by choice or by circumstance, I know you probably never saw yourself doing it alone. You are juggling more than you ever thought possible and often cannot let yourself think past today because the thoughts can be so overwhelming. Amidst the struggle, I SALUTE YOU.
To the moms that send their kids to public school, who dread the summer (a little or a lot), and take a deep breath of relief when autumn approaches, I SALUTE YOU. To the moms who take the role of teacher upon themselves, whose days are filled with math and history that you never thought you'd see again, who decide the best route for your family is to homeschool your kids for part or all of their education, I SALUTE YOU, TOO.
A special salute to the moms that have lost a child. I am so sorry. There is nothing natural about having to bury a child that you birthed, a child that you dreamed of for months or even years, one that you certainly never imagined would end this way. That pain is nothing less than excruciating and suffocating. You have an inner strength that is unmatched. I SALUTE YOU.
So today, on this Mother's Day weekend, I raise my glass and give a toast to MOTHERS-- young or old, of one kid or nine, no matter your parenting styles or opinions or personal convictions.. I want you to know that you are doing it. That is what matters. You are continually, day after day, putting someone else's needs ahead of your own. You are walking around with a piece (or pieces) of your heart outside your body. You have taken on the most difficult yet most rewarding role. I hope you know that you are doing a good job. And, at the end of each day, I hope that we can put our differences aside and say to each other,
I SALUTE YOU.
It's easy to get caught up in the mommy-
I SALUTE YOU.
To the new moms, who are covered in spit up and have bags under your eyes and are choosing to not leave the house unless it's an emergency, I SALUTE YOU.
To the veteran moms who have walked the road before us, who have already gone from skinned knees to broken hearts & playing dress-up to real wedding days, who have successfully kicked your young ones from the nest to fly on their own, I SALUTE YOU.
To the clean-freak moms who boil the pacifier each time it falls on the floor and might as well own stock in hand sanitizer, I SALUTE YOU. And to the moms who choose to clean the pacifier with your own mouths and who were well-intentioned enough to buy an extra large bottle of hand sanitizer that only has a few pumps missing months later, I SALUTE YOU. (I also have a large almost-full bottle of hand sanitizer, if anyone wants it...)
To the breastfeeding moms who perpetually smell like milk and stay home more often than you would like because you are afraid of how others will act or your baby always throws off the cover (or is that just mine?) or you just can't get the hang of nursing in public, I SALUTE YOU. And to the mothers who have formula-fed since day one for whatever the reason, I SALUTE YOU, TOO.
To the moms who worry about each sniffle and cough and google every symptom and buy all new clothes and new toys, I SALUTE YOU. And to the moms who never google anything and use all hand-me-downs and forgot diapers on your trip out and had to use a maxi-pad instead, I SALUTE YOU.
To the adoptive moms who have paperwork pregnancies and babies that are born from your hearts instead of your bodies, I SALUTE YOU. I know that you have to endure nosy questions and inappropriate comments and usually do so with a smile and a heart of understanding, except on the days when you've just had enough. Either way, I SALUTE YOU. To the foster moms who walk an extremely hard road of loving children as your own and then saying goodbye when the time comes, I SALUTE YOU.
To the stay-at-home moms, whose days are filled with cooking and cleaning and washing and crafts and wiping noses and wiping tears and changing diapers and changing clothes and stopping fights and whiners and worriers and tea parties and fort-building and about a thousand other things-- I SALUTE YOU. And to the moms who work outside the home and then come home to pick up where you left off with all the things listed above, I SALUTE YOU.
To the single moms, whether by choice or by circumstance, I know you probably never saw yourself doing it alone. You are juggling more than you ever thought possible and often cannot let yourself think past today because the thoughts can be so overwhelming. Amidst the struggle, I SALUTE YOU.
To the moms that send their kids to public school, who dread the summer (a little or a lot), and take a deep breath of relief when autumn approaches, I SALUTE YOU. To the moms who take the role of teacher upon themselves, whose days are filled with math and history that you never thought you'd see again, who decide the best route for your family is to homeschool your kids for part or all of their education, I SALUTE YOU, TOO.
A special salute to the moms that have lost a child. I am so sorry. There is nothing natural about having to bury a child that you birthed, a child that you dreamed of for months or even years, one that you certainly never imagined would end this way. That pain is nothing less than excruciating and suffocating. You have an inner strength that is unmatched. I SALUTE YOU.
So today, on this Mother's Day weekend, I raise my glass and give a toast to MOTHERS-- young or old, of one kid or nine, no matter your parenting styles or opinions or personal convictions.. I want you to know that you are doing it. That is what matters. You are continually, day after day, putting someone else's needs ahead of your own. You are walking around with a piece (or pieces) of your heart outside your body. You have taken on the most difficult yet most rewarding role. I hope you know that you are doing a good job. And, at the end of each day, I hope that we can put our differences aside and say to each other,
I SALUTE YOU.
