Another Mother's Day has come and gone. Mothers make the world go round -- and we
know it. For those of you who were
properly appreciated, I am truly happy that you got what you deserved, at least
for a day. Mother's Day is one of those
holidays in which you can feel really good, or really bad, about. It is kind of like Valentine's Day, with a
lot of expectation about what others are supposed to do for you in order to
show their appreciation. And God forbid,
it does not quite go that way.
For instance, I like to be taken out for breakfast --
nothing fancy, just an omelette or some pancakes at the pancake cottage. When my 6 year old son turned his nose up at
the idea, preferring to stay home, I was genuinely offended (and hurt). Now, I am a children's therapist, and I know
that 6 year olds are not capable yet of putting themselves in someone else's shoes
(or properly appreciating anyone, for that matter, unless you've just bought
them the newest Ninjago item). Even that
"appreciation" is short lived.
So, why did I have a meltdown as I watched his little mouth turn into a
pout? I really do not know. And my offense quickly dissipated after
watching him genuinely enjoy a giant chocolate chip pancake at the pancake
cottage, to which we dragged his little sour face to. I think there is just so much expectation
that the day should be happy (no, blissful, actually) that it cannot possibly
be lived up to.
Sure, I got to see the Facebook posts come trickling
in. Sew and sew took their mom to a
fancy brunch with bottomless mimosas, sew and sew's husband bought them what
seemed to be a $200 bouquet and sew and sew's kid made them a card so sweet
that it made me teary-eyed. All really nice,
right? I have a feeling, though, that
there were many more of us that got a book we wanted or a much needed moment to
ourselves. Good too, right? Although maybe not Facebook-postable. For the record, though, all it really takes
to appreciate most moms is to awaken to a clean kitchen, the garbage put out
and a load of the kid's school uniforms put in the washer, just so the day is a
little less exhausting and frustrating than usual. Oh yeah, and to be able to sleep in and to
take a nap if desired.
And, in my moments of feeling sad and unappreciated, I
also thought about all of those women out there feeling even more sad because
they have lost their mothers, are estranged from their mothers or just did not
have one of those mothers that deserves to be put on a pedestal. Or those women who really want to be mothers,
and can't. And then I felt guilty for my
smallness. But, then I decided to forgive
myself. We all have a right to our
feelings without comparing them to everyone else's. And I reminded myself, mothers make the world
go round. And I know it.
