Mother’s Day is hands down my favorite day of the year. I get to sleep late and take a break from my usual motherly roles of cook, maid, taxi driver, and referee. My husband and kids usually plant all my spring flowers before I even get out of bed. Of course I hear them outside my window fighting over who gets to plant and who gets to water, but my husband quickly reminds them to be quiet because they don’t want to ruin Mommy’s favorite day.
Next, we have a wonderful breakfast with homemade waffles followed by some sweet gifts that the kids made at school that always bring tears to my eyes. My kids still don’t understand why grown-ups sometimes cry when they are happy and I tell them they probably won’t understand until they have children of their own. After breakfast, my husband reminds me that on this day I get to do whatever it is I want to do and that I’d better take advantage of it, because at midnight it all ends.
When I stop to think about it, I realize that before I had kids every day was pretty much like Mother’s Day. But now that I’m a mom, I am very aware that I now have just ONE day to do whatever I want and to not feel guilty about it, which is what makes it so special.
Of course I love my kids and of course I love being a mom, but being a mom is a tough job and besides, everyone loves a day off. Over the years I have spent this very special day in different ways. When the kids were babies, my special day most certainly included a long nap. On the Mother’s Day just before my second child was born, I spent my special day at the movie theatre with my then only child watching my favorite movie, the Wizard of Oz. On some Mother’s Days we have had BBQ’s and spent time with our families (my husband always insists on doing all the work, and I let him) and on others I have gone to the beach by myself to read a book. These days my special day is more likely to involve going to a kid’s soccer or baseball game, but that’s OK because I love sports and my husband always drives because the taxi driver is off for the day.
I am not sure if ALL moms spend Mother’s Day doing something (even if it’s just a small thing) that they really want to do but just don’t seem to have the time to do anymore with all the added responsibilities that come with being a cook, maid, taxi driver, and referee, but I think they should.
This Mother’s Day I will be sure to start my very special day off by drinking a cup of coffee from my #1 Mom coffee mug that the kids gave me one year. I love that mug, not only because how sweet it was that my kids picked it out for me, but also because anytime during the year when my kids get upset with me and call me the meanest mommy in the whole wide world, I remind them that I can’t be because I have a mug that says otherwise. They typically respond to this by telling me there were hundreds of those mugs in the store and that ALL kids think that they have the world’s best mom. Kiddingly I tell them that there can only be one #1 Mom and I am so happy it is me. So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the #1 Moms out there and make sure you do something for yourself on this very special day.
