So often when I get asked what I “do” for a living, I’ll reply, “I’m just a mom.” So many of us are quick to dismiss the importance of who we are as mothers.
On days like today, it’s easier to recognize the gravity of our position. We have hanging flower baskets, plates of french toast, and children on their “best behavior.” There’s gratitude, praise, and extra helpings of love. But when the glow of Mother’s Day fades away and the real world comes screaming back in tomorrow, don’t let yourself start to feel like you’re “just” a mom. Don’t let the spilt cereal, dumped out tub of Legos, and Mt. Laundry steal your importance. Don’t let sibling rivalry, less than perfect meatloaf, and stinky diapers make you forget who you are.
So many women describe themselves as….
the cook,
the housekeeper,
the chauffer,
the nurse,
and the entertainer.
When in reality you are…
the glue that holds your family together,
the first person your kids want to talk to when they are excited, scared, happy, or sad,
your children’s first teacher,
an example,
a provider,
a confidante,
a friend,
a trusted adviser,
and the world’s most powerful CEO.
Don’t ever let yourself say you are “just” a mom. Even on your worst day, when the house is a disaster and corn dogs are what’s for dinner….Even when your child is a grade level behind in math…..Even when you lose your cool and yell….Even when the laundry piles up…you are everything. It doesn’t matter if you work or stay home, how you choose for your child to be educated, how or where your children sleep, if your values are different from your neighbors, how you feed your kids, or how many projects you do. It doesn’t matter if you were a “natural” or if this thing called motherhood is something you’re growing into. What matters is that you wake up each day and work non-stop for those babies. You sacrifice sleep, energy, time, privacy, personal space, and preferences. You are puked on, peed on, and walk around with a variety of fluids on your clothes. You care for, worry about, pray for, encourage, support, and provide for those children. You model what a mother, a wife, a friend, sister, daughter looks like. You are their center of influence. You are their biggest fan. You are daily showing them the meaning of true love. You are not “just” a mom. You are a mom. And you are incredible.
Happy Mother’s Day.
