Stories that Matter
Happy Mother’s Day!
May 13, 2018 /
Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing Moms I know and love.
Those with us and those who have gone before us.
This day is hard for some of us, I know. I miss my Mom too.
But I’m grateful for the memories. Grateful for the legacy she left us. And grateful that I got to be a mom, and finally understand it all. Maybe. I don’t know that you ever get to the point where you feel you ‘know it all’.
And that’s a good thing.
So after almost 29 years of trying to figure this mom thing out, I may have a few thoughts.
And because I know a lot of young moms out there right now, I thought I’d share them with you today.
Being a mom is the most incredible gift you will ever get, and it’s also the hardest thing you’ll ever do.
You will never get it ‘right’. There is no such thing as ‘the perfect mom’, so quit trying to be that.
And all those sleepless nights, temper tantrums and days where you go into the bathroom, shut the door and cry because you just need five minutes of peace? They don’t last.
The trash free lunches and ticked homework schedules and the endless driving from here to kingdom come and back again every darn day, gone in a flash. The fights and arguments and stony silences across the dining room table? Forget it. When your kid says they hate you, what they really mean is they don’t understand why they’re not getting their way. And one day? One day they will. They will get it, and they may even thank you for it.
Because one day you’ll be sitting on the other side of all this wondering where the time went.
One day you’ll be holding the next generation in your arms, blown away by the miracle that this kid came from your kid, and you’ll try to figure out how it went so fast and how you got through it all unscathed. Maybe you didn’t. But those heart scars? They are precious. Because they tell your story.
We do battle for our kids every day, Moms. Doesn’t matter how old they are. And they need us.
They need us to fight for them and with them, to pray, for them and with them for as long as they’ll let you. But most of all? They just need our deepest unconditional love. All day. Every day. Through all those hard things and through the best things. The laughter and the hugs, the victories and the broken dreams and the tears, and the sweet moments of silence when the whisper through the dark comes, and you hear, “I love you, Mom.”
So hang in there. What you’re doing, this raising up kids to be responsible adults, it sounds impossible now, right? But it’s not. And it’s the most important thing you will ever do in your life. And nobody can do it quite like you.
And when you know that through it all, even though you’ve failed a million times and got back up the next day and started over again, and, well, you’ve just done the best you can, and . . . they love you anyway?
That’s all we can ask for.
And truly? That’s the best reward of all.
Yes. It’s worth it.
So worth it.
Keep doing what you’re doing, Moms. You’re amazing.
And I love you.
Cathy, this is priceless! You have such a gift for words. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings.
I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Give that adorable grandbaby an extra hug!
Thank you, Winnie!! I hope you have a great day!