I am a mom. I’m a mom before anyone wakes up—when the coffee is brewing and I’m tripping over yesterday's stack of homeschool books to get to the kitchen so I can open my eyes a bit wider. The sun isn’t awake and I’m printing curriculum for the day and getting ready for grade books, science experiments, art projects, and another full immersion Spanish conversation with my 7-year-old daughter. I am a mom, especially when my 19 month of baby girl decides that poop is body paint, or my 3-year-old screams for his cereal at lunchtime, only to throw it all over the living room like confetti and ask for “nuggies” instead. I am a mom to the deepest of belly laughs and the tears streaming down the face; to the boo-boos and the toddler who won’t sleep without his Froggie (who he calls “Ribbit”). I am a mom to the intensity of cooking for many different diets that are amongst my house (dairy-free, gluten-free, Kosher, and sometimes vegan), and the Midday “Mama-lattes” where we play endless games of Uno Flip. I am a mom to daily zoom meetings with the school teachers that my kids so desperately miss, and a mom to the neighborhood kids who play in our yard when theirs has no fence. I am a mom covered in bruises from my son’s meltdowns, as he tries so desperately to regulate his system on more time. I am a mom who will find lycra sheets and use Moby wraps to help him have tight squeezes when my arms no longer have strength. I am the mom who will say nothing as he headbutts my nose over brushing his teeth, and 2 hours later sing “Love is an open door” with him only to post it on Facebook and show the world that he sang it beautifully with me. I am an autism mom, an ADHD mom, a gifted mom, and a toddler mom. I am a “love you through the rough days” mom. And there are many in our home.
This is my mom experience, and I wouldn’t trade it. Maybe yours looks different than mine. You might be an adoptive mom or one that has struggled with infertility and had babies that left this world too soon—for those that tell you otherwise, you are ALL still moms! Maybe you are a mom who homeschools, bakes, does crafts, Instagrams, and never misses a bedtime story. You might be a mom who works two jobs, does dinners in the car between sports practices and homework, and drinks more coffee than you care to in order to make it all work. Single mom? Struggling mom? Regardless of your experience and your life—you are a mom. You are worthy. You are not perfect, but you deserve beauty and joy. You are a giver of life and a receiver of blessings. You are a leader, whether you know it or not. You need to hear how wonderful you are and know it in the depths of your soul. You need to know that there is not only one way to be the perfect mom—the perfect mom doesn’t exist. But you are perfect for your family. That is what matters.
To all who need to hear it—to all who may not get the chance to hear it—You are celebrated! Happy Mother’s day, to you. For you. All of you!