Celebrating Motherhood With a Simple Statement
[dropcap letter=”M”]otherhood is not a task or a job, it is a privilege. It challenges our moral fiber, determines our moral compass, and awakens our moral code. Motherhood proves that unconditional love exists, that friendship is deeper than words, that protection is a necessity, and that beauty begins from within. This child of mine gives me courage, hope, faith, love, and certainty that the world is an extraordinary place. I know that she is a gift and that she will always be my greatest purpose.
For me, #MothersDay isn’t about what she gets me. It’s about what she’s given me and she has given me everything. So to every mom out there, this year instead of asking for gifts, let’s ask for a note, a hug, a reason to laugh. Sometimes we (at least me) get so busy we forget that the simplest of things are the very best things. Last night we sat and watched Black-ish and Grey’s Anatomy and cried together and as silly as that sounds? It was awesome. We talk about life, politics, how to take hate out of the world, how to make love last, how to cook, how to win at UNO, you name it. She’s my life because she finally gave more meaning to mine. Happy Mother’s Day to every mom out there. May we always remember how lucky we are …
I reached out to some of the moms in Southern Califnornia asking to tell me what motherhood means to them. Here’s what they said:
Michelle M. – “I became a mother through adoption – I always tell my girls how blessed I feel to have the honor of being their Mom!”
Ambra B. – “Motherhood is like being in the game Jumanji … only cuter and with hugs!”
Rachel R. – “Motherhood is the unconditional love you have for another human no matter what.”
Liv G. – “One sentence!?! That is a tough one. Here it goes … I am grateful that my children chose me to be their mother, I absolutely believe that to be a privilege, I am honored, and work not to take it for granted. Grateful.”
Kelly M. – “Motherhood is hard … so very, very hard. I never truly believed the cliche of adding “but so worth it” to the end of that statement… until I was there myself. Now, every morning I wake up to a smiling face looking back at me and that alone makes every second worth it.”
Wendy F.(Adoptive Mom) – “I searched the world over for my children, and when they test my patience I remember I wanted this more than anything else.”
Carrie L. – “Living life 5 minutes at a time. Playing with rocks, cleaning up spills, and sacrificing all the things you once thought were your priorities. A life fueled by hugs and laughter rather than accomplishment and recognition.”
Nina H. – “The greatest piece of art, entertainment, and inspiration I’ve put my efforts, heart, and soul into.”
Denise E. – “Motherhood is never pooping alone. Lol.”
Jill D. – “My kids complete me. Motherhood is the best gift I’ve ever been entrusted with and I hope I don’t screw it up!”
Monica Z. – “Priceless.”
Michelle M. – “Motherhood is the single most rewarding experience of my life.”
Erin B. – “Motherhood refills my cup every single day.”
Christina K. (Aka Infertility Ass Kicker)– “Motherhood is amazing!”
Susan A. – “Motherhood is an amazing journey you run to not from. I can’t think of life ever again without my kids.”
Linnea S. – “Motherhood will kick you in the balls every time. Good thing I have a vagina!”
Jenna B. – “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices in my life to be able to be a mother and I wouldn’t change a thing. I am so grateful to be a SAHM {stay-at-home-mom} to my precious boys.”
Brandy C. – “My little one woke up screaming at 6:00 am because she vomited everywhere. Sadly, she has been vomiting the entire day since and we have changed clothing about 5 times already. Still the fact she is peacefully napping on my chest means I’m beyond blessed to be a mommy. I’m her rock and she is mine.”
Angie W. – “Every day my children gift me unexpected questions, forcing my mind to slow down and reconsider subjects I thought long exhausted, and in searching for the right explanations, my blinders are suddenly lifted to find vibrant new perspectives, not only into the world around us, but also into who I have become over the years of tunnel vision, too busy to notice my own growth.”
Alexandra C. – “Just from a different perspective, I’ve seen a few articles like this and in a world where men put down stay at home moms and I really hope this doesn’t turn into one of those. While full of magic and whimsy, it’s not for the faint of heart. Parenthood is hard work. Please if you haven’t already read some of the past articles written about the topic.”
Bridgette Alfonso – “It’s all about hearing the little voices tell you they love you a million times a day!”
Heather M. – “I’ve raised 6 kids on my own, and I’ve learned just as much (if not more) from them as they have from me!”
Arial C. – “Being a mother has taught me how to have an authentic and honest relationship with myself unlike any other role I’ve taken on.”
Mary M. – “She did the best she could with what she had to work with.”
Sharon H. – “You can never retire from being a mother.”
Metta D. – “Some people seem to think that the goal of parenting is to have well-behaved children. But this sometimes conflicts with raising children who will become well-adjusted adults. I wish we were culturally more accepting that sometimes allowing what seems like bad behavior or disrespect is actually necessary to raise a child to be the kind of adult we all wish there were more of.”
Christine C. – “Becoming a mom and seeing my son for the first time was the moment I realized what true love really was.”
Stephanie W. – “The most difficult thing about motherhood is that you spend your child’s entire life trying to prepare them for a life without you when that is absolutely the last thing you want to happen. It’s a privilege and a curse.”
Donna C. – “You don’t always have to have children to be a mom … it’s what comes from your heart.”
Kristen M-H. – “Motherhood = never pooping alone again.” (I sense a theme!)
Ashley V. – “Being a mom is a daily quest to find the balance between wanting to pause time forever and wanting your children to grow and achieve all that they are able.”
Amy Jo P. – “Being a mom means having your heart broken, patched up and healed. Everyday.”
Hannah Chao – “Do whatever works – my motto.”
Jennifer T. – “Don’t get caught up in trying to live up to anyone’s expectations, just love your kids as much as you know how to and let that love drive everything you do.”
Rebecca PC. – “I have two kids and the phrase that summarizes that best is – Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
Sara S. – “Motherhood is an epic journey of self discovery and self sacrifice. Iron sharpens iron. Motherhood takes a strong woman and makes her bullet proof.”
Michelin S. – “Sleep? What’s that?”
Laurie CF – “Having raised two and lost two babies over the past 27 years, it’s the toughest job I’ve ever loved.”
Desirée PC – “Motherhood- it’s medicines drove me to all my healings while it’s brutal beauty forced me to move forward and beyond all that I boxed myself into believing; It is glorious and fucking terrifying.”
Jacqelyn E. – “Motherhood … a journey that requires the most love, patience and laughter and rewards you ten fold!”
Krysten W. – “Motherhood is finally finding your true love.”
Masa D. – “As a mother to a 20 and almost 23 year-old I’ve learned to not sweat the small stuff, relax, and to just love them and enjoy my time with them; childhood is over in the blink of an eye!”
Peni Rae M. – “Being a mother is simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Lindsay W. – “I really enjoy when my kids hit milestones, like when my oldest learned to make grilled cheese sandwiches for me, and I realized having all these kids was finally paying off.”
Carrie S. – “No two days were the same in my journey through motherhood. EVERYDAY WAS AN ADVENTURE. This is the best choice I ever made.”
Melissa V. – “I’ve never eaten so fast, held my pee so long, or slept so little and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been!”
Karen W. – “Motherhood is loving tiny barbarians into people you trust to save your world in the future. I cannot think of a more privileged and wonderful role to play in my entire life, ever, even if it’s the most underpaid, overworked vocation in the world.”
Jessie L. – “I know it’s love when I am the first one she calls when she wants someone to see her poop.”
Candida S.B. – “I became a mother from fostering a child , it was another mother who couldn’t run towards motherhood but chose to run from it, from fear, selfishness, insecurity, whatever it was, it was a blessing for me. Every morning I wake up and I know not only did I try for years to have my own child but when that didn’t happen, I was lucky enough to be given the gift of an infant that spells out perfection every day by teaching me patience, selflessness, unconditional love and that I can get through the day on no sleep, no food, and pure love.”
Susie M. – “A fever dream where you wear a bathing suit as underwear and stand around refilling those tiny coffees at Trader Joes while your kid eats a bag of string cheese.”
Aubrey M. – “Motherhood is a bitch and bitches get things done. That said, motherhood? Don’t blink!”
Erika V. – “Having a child is like having a big cup of coffee. You love and need it, it keeps you up at night, but you can’t live without it.”
Gigi N. – “I didn’t write this but it made me laugh out loud, ‘Behind every great kid is a mom who’s pretty sure she’s screwing it all up.”
Natasha E. – “Motherhood: when being criticized for just being a woman isn’t enough.”
April M. – “The most precious jewels around your neck are the arms of your child.”
In truth, motherhood is the toughest thing ever. You give up all semblance of self and realize that even when you “try” putting yourself first, you’ll fail epically because truth is, you love your kids and their happiness and well-being matters more than yours (even when you hear the voice inside your head reminding you that your happiness means their happiness to which you reply: bullshit!). You become your best self because without that, what the hell are we doing. You learn to forgive your cellulite or missed days at the gym because you’re raising a human. An actual human being! You work harder, have bigger expectations of yourself, and know sleep was a luxury you won’t be getting again any time soon – and it’s ok
Motherhood means having your heart ripped out, being questioned all the time, saying things like “because I said so” even though you swore those words would never come out of your mouth. You want to shake other moms because they ignore their kids, you want to tell moms that stay at home that they’re awesome, and those that judge you that you’re not a shitty parent because you decided to follow your dreams, work, AND be a mom too.
You stop apologizing for cursing in front of your kids because you realize there’s only so much “perfection” you’re capable of everyday. You raise your voice, you imagine the joys of a month long vacation on an island alone with a bathroom all to yourself and copious amounts of alcohol and nachos – and you know you’re not alone.
They say motherhood takes a village and hearing from other moms, well, you realize its true. Maybe us moms need to spend less time telling one another what we do wrong and spend more time embracing one another so that when we have days like the ones above, we have each others backs. Days where we can bond over never sleeping or pooping alone, or feeling like you’re losing your sanity one unpredictable moment at a time. We become the village.
At the end of the day we want our children to change the world, to be instrumental in ending hate, showing love, being human beings that open minds and nourish the human spirit. We need more goodness in the world and as a parent, that really IS our duty. We don’t need any biases or unkindness or bullying or judgment. What we need is a future filled with unity and acceptance – and this year – I implore every mom to commit to that. Be good human beings and in turn let’s raise spectacular ones!
Happy Mother’s Day! Here’s to the realness of our every day and the hope that sometimes we get to go the bathroom alone without interruption.
Hey, it’s the little things …
