Moms are amazing. I'm not just saying
that because I am one. I say that because my mom and other moms around me have
been such an influence in my life. I wanted to say happy Mother's Day to all of
these amazing women who carry the title of mom.
Too often we tend to mom shame
each other. We are too quick to judge those who raise their children
differently than we do and who don't surpass our expectations of what a mom
should be. Maybe you're like me though and tend to compare yourself to other
moms. You feel less than adequate because your house isn't always clean, your
children don't eat as healthy as you’d like, and your family seemingly has more
issues than another family. Maybe you're jealous of how clean another mom’s car
is, or you wish you be a great blogger mom. What I'm getting at is too often we
not only shame other moms but we shame ourselves as well. We feel like we have
to be these Pinterest perfect mothers and if we don't live up to these unreal
expectations then we are just failures. If you’ve ever felt like that raise your hand! I was one of these moms. I thought I had to do everything that I saw on Pinterest. I saw these mom bloggers who have these amazing homes and who did amazing crafts with their kiddos. They give the impression that they do so much that appear to be a perfect mom. What I didn't realize, was they have to make everything look perfect for their blog, but In reality, there is just as much of a mess as I am.
There is no such thing as a perfect mom. We all strive to be that. In the beginning,
we say our children will never eat processed foods; but then our child decides
that they're not going to eat anything. So, what do we do? We end up giving in
and giving our
children whatever it is that they will eat to keep them alive.
We say we're not going to going to give our children iPads or let them watch too
much TV. But we end up allowing it because we need a break. We just need that 5-minute
breather!! We become overworked and over stressed so we end up doing the things
that we say we would never do. Are we bad moms because of it? Heck no! If anything,
it makes us even better. Why? Because you cannot take care of your children if
you cannot take care of yourself. And I know my husband is probably rolling his
eyes at me right now because this is something he tells me all the time.
Honestly though it's true.
Now, when you think of a mom, you
usually think of someone who gave birth to their
children and are raising them.
Right?! But moms come in so many different forms. Mother's Day isn’t just for
the mom who gave birth to her child. Mother's Day is for those women who
decided to step up. Mother's Day is for stepmoms, women who have lost their
children due to unforeseen circumstances, women who have yet to give birth to a
child because they are dealing with infertility issues and have lost children
in the process, Mother's Day is for those women who are currently pregnant,
those who have adopted into their life a child from another family, and those
who have opened up their homes to foster children. Mother’s Day is also for
those single men who don’t have a woman to be a mother figure to their children
and are having to go it alone. They are having to play the role of mom and dad.
These men are honorary mothers. Mother’s Day is also for those women playing
the role of mommy and daddy as well. To all of these moms and honorary moms, I
applaud you. The role of a mom is never easy. It comes with many ups and downs.
Being a special-needs mom, I know this to be true more than anyone. I want to
give a special shout out to all of you special needs moms because it takes a
special person to be able to go through all that we have to go through for our
children. To watch our children, endure all of the medical issues they face,
the surgeries, the doctors’ appointments, the therapies, and the heart ache
that comes along with it because you just want your child to have a normal
childhood. You special needs moms are so amazing and you give me inspiration
and encouragement every day. A mom's heart is always full of love for her
children. She fears for their safety, has pride for their accomplishments, and combats
sadness for any sickness or hurt that may befall them. I wanted to say happy
Mother's Day to all of my family members who are moms and also my friends. You truly are amazing moms, caregivers, peace keepers, and much much more.
I
also wanted to give a shout out to three very special people in my life.
To my good friend, Victoria:
I am amazed
by you. Your strength, endurance and your ability to smile through the pain and
tough journey has truly inspired and encouraged me. Not only are you extremely
blessed to have that little boy in your life, but that little boy is extremely
blessed to have you as his mommy. Through all of the loss and pain that you and
your husband have to achieve your ultimate goal which was to have a child, you
have kept your head high, a smile on your face, and hope in your heart. Your
son's medical journey is sadly far from over, but you amaze me with how you
handle each situation that arises. You truly are the best advocate for your
child and I am so thankful that you and I are friends. I have learned so much
from you and you have helped me in ways you cannot believe. I am so
appreciative for all the help that you've given me with my daughter, and for all
of the encouragement and support. I know this Mother's Day is extra special for
you because it's your first Mother's Day with your baby boy. Since the time you
lost that first baby you've always been a mom but I know you now truly feel
like one. You have so much to celebrate this Mother's Day and with Cole turning
one soon you will have so much more to celebrate. You have such an amazing
little boy and I am truly happy for you and your family. I pray for you all
every day. Happy Mother’s Day to a mom who has blessed my life and is my best
friend.
Thank you for raising such a
wonderful son. I have been so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and best
friend. He treats me like a queen and is an amazing father to our children. I
know this is your first Mother's Day without your mom and it may be a hard one
for you especially since her recent passing. I hope you take comfort though in
knowing that you did an amazing job raising two wonderful children and are a
wonderful mother and grandmother. My children are blessed to have you as their
Nana. Happy Mother's Day Gail.
To my Mama:
I truly am blessed to have you as my
mom. I am even more blessed to have you as my children's grandma. Every little
girl grows up saying that they're not going to be like their mom. There is
always something that moms do that their children frown upon and say “I'm
not going to be like that”. I find myself each
day saying or doing things that
you would do. I have to stop and laugh as I realize I became just like my
mother and no this isn't a bad thing. I look at photos and think of how much I look like you. This is great because it just means that when I get to be your age (which is
still really young!) I’m going to be just as gorgeous! Growing up you don't
realize all the things that your mom does for you. All the things that she
sacrificed (including her perfect body), all those sleepless nights up late
worrying about you, all the pressure you're faced with to be the perfect mom,
and just how scary it is to have children. My mom has helped me through my break ups, stayed up late at night studying with me to make sure I had every tool at my disposal to pass those tests, and always encouraged me to do my best. Even if I failed, at least I tried and gave it my all. My mom showed me what it means to have class, power through adversity, how to forgive, and how to love. She led by example, modeled what it meant to stick to your morals and showed me how a true lady is supposed to act.You become a young adult and start to think “when I have my children I'm going to do this for them because my mom never did this for me”. Yes, there may be things that I will do differently with my
children as we create our own traditions and such, but I realize that I never did without. I was blessed beyond reason. Now that I'm a mom I realize just how hard it is to be a mom. Making sure every holiday is memorable, starting and continuing family traditions, and the constant upkeep and cleaning up the house. I have to make sure my family is well fed, and my children are taught right from wrong. I have to do this all while dealing with the everyday stresses of life. That's just a small portion of what a mom does. I honestly don't know how you did it all. Our house was always clean, dinner made, laundry done, and everything else you
needed done was done even though you worked all day. I am so grateful for everything that you have done for Jonathan and I and that you still do for our family today. Thank you for alway
To all of you moms out there, Happy
Mother's Day. You're probably going to have a lot of bad days and wish for those days to hurry up and be over so a new one can begin. Always look
at the moments that are great and cherish them for they pass us by way too quickly. Let’s not mom shame other moms
any more either. Instead, offer to help them out, build them up and celebrate
them for all the hard work that they do. And
remember, you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect mom. You are amazing for
who you are and what you do. Your children will always think that you're the
perfect mom regardless. Happy Mother's
Day!!