Here's to Mothers!!

MOTHER, mothering...been there, done that. Everyone has a mother--you cannot escape that fact. Since my mother has departed this Earth (she left on my birthday--no less!) I have turned "Mother's Day" into "I-appreciate-all-mothers" Day and "Every-Mother-is-a-working-mother" Day. Yup, I just think about all the young Mother's I know (and think about how I was once a young Mother) and admire them for the hard work--sometimes very difficult and unrewarded hard work---they do each day. We expect so much of our Mother's-- so living up to our cultural expectations of what a Mother should be is a real challenge sometimes.

I suspect most Mother's have those days when they just want to run away from being a Mother--I know I did. However, it is very taboo in our culture to admit you hate being a Mother--even if you only hate it for a few hours or a day. Not only must you be a perfect Mother--who can solve all problems, and ALWAYS loves her kids---but you are supposed to love the role. Now don't get me wrong--I love my kids (I have 2 wonderful now grown up daughters) but sometimes I really hated being a Mother.

When you are a Mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts or alone anywhere, for that matter. As a Mother--you rarely get "time off"---even if you go away on vacation--you are still "on call" if there is an emergency and would rush home if your child was sick or injured. Being a Mother taught (the young and very impatient) me patience. During particularly difficult times (when Mothering teens as a single parent, for example) being a Mother seemed like a test of my unconditional love for my children.

Part of being a Mother is teaching our children--oh so many things! but I also learned from my children as I guided them through childhood. Despite the times I wanted to escape Motherhood, I know that being a Mom has shaped me into the wiser elder I am today, and for that I am grateful. Looking back now on the journey I took through young Motherhood, I wouldn't trade that experience for any other adventure....and that goes ditto for being a Grandma. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ALL YOU WONDERFUL MOTHERS OUT THERE!