Have breakfast in bed
Go back to sleep
Wake up around noon, to the
sounds of laundry being done and dinner being made
Hang out
Have leftovers for lunch
Take a nap
Wake up and go for a nice long walk
Read
Read some more while you wait for dinner
Eat dinner
Watch your favorite T.V. shows
Go to bed and sleep for 9 hours
This is what all mothers SHOULD do on Mother’s Day, right? Or
something like it.
Here’s what Dr. Seuss might say about mothers. Moms come in all
shapes and sizes. Working moms, career moms, and stay-at-home moms. Wanna-be
moms, moms with lots of kids, moms who have lost a kid, moms raising kids with
special needs. Step-moms and foster-moms. Gay moms and single moms. Or
something like it.
Considering there are all types of mothers in all types of
situations, what “should” mothers really do on Mother’s Day? Clearly, a one
size fits all recipe isn’t going to work. Or is it? Hmm.. I do wonder what the
world would look like if ALL moms all over the world stopped doing what moms
do, just for one day! Can you picture the headlines the next day? Kids with
Dirty Diapers Wander Streets, Teachers Upset as Kids Show up Without Homework,
Hungry Children Look for Food but Restaurants Closed, Wall Street Collapses as
No One Can Make a Decision (tongue in cheek). Truly, this is in no way meant to
diminish what fathers contribute to families and society, but I do have a hard
time imagining what the world would look like if mothers stopped doing
everything they do for one entire day!
The question really is, should
moms stop doing what they do for an entire day? I think not. Moms need to do
what moms need to do, whether it’s on Mother’s Day or any other day. No, the
world would not come to an end, but do we really need to feel like we “should”
be having the perfect day, even if that isn’t what we need or want to be doing?
And how many moms feel badly because that perfect day isn’t really happening
for them? And, isn’t that missing the point? Should moms be appreciated and
made to feel special on Mother’s Day for what they do – yes, absolutely! And on
every other day as well!
So, what do mothers REALLY do on Mother’s Day? Well, it depends. But
here’s one scenario:
Wake up to crying baby (or screaming kids)
Feed baby (or kids)
Try to get some more sleep
Get up and eat Something.
Get all those things done that didn’t get done during the week, if
you don’t want to have to do those things during the week when you will already
have more than enough to do
Juggle these tasks with getting kids to Activities – (yes, they have
those even on Mother’s Day)
Eat dinner (somehow)
Read Mother’s Day cards (hopefully a few)
Go to bed exhausted, but happy to have been appreciated, and happy
to be a mom
Happy Mother’s Day. Hope you had a good one!
