I’ve come back today to give you my ‘ode to Mother’s Day. This is the wonderful day when we are given all sorts of delightful homemade cards, coupon books that will never been redeemed, 15 pound homemade necklaces and all sorts of crafts out of popsicle sticks. I’ll be honest with you, in the last 12ish years that I’ve been a mum I really haven’t liked the day. Wait, wait, don’t spit and boo at me yet, let me at least explain! I love all of the cute gifts made from the heart, they’ve been wonderful, even if they become weapons of guilt trips in the months to follow about why I’m not wearing a necklace or why I’m not using a drink holder or coin jar. My dislike is about the actual day.
Not unlike many of you, I work really, really hard 363 days a year (I’ve taken out this day and of course my birthday) to make life as pleasant as possible for my spouse and children. I do yucky, horrible things for them all year (laundry, cleaning, cooking, board games) and spend all “extra” time running them around, volunteering for their schools, or different projects they enjoy. So with this in mind, I awaken every mother’s day just positive that my family will have a horse drawn carriage waiting outside to take me to a gourmet breakfast in the park while a maid has been employed to clean my house and prepare freezer dinners to feed my for the next few months. Then of course while they are all at church I’m just sure I will be whisked away to a spa to be pampered for the remainder of the day in quiet with a good book
Okay, so it hasn’t been all bad. These last couple of years now that the kids sorta get it, it’s been okay. Today I was awoken to the sound of Bubba crying because the chocolate chip pancake he made for me wasn’t as pretty as he hoped. (And yes even though pancake batter that sits all day is as hard as concrete to get off, I’ll clean it off the stove and counter tomorrow with only a partial grumble as I know he made me breakfast out of love.) I do enjoy being able to say “Are you really going to do (fill in the blank) and ruin one my special day?” This by the way works on not only children but on husbands too! I’m learning to remember that Mother’s Day is just a day, not a direct report card as to my skills as a mother. And I’m learning to be more specific in my gift giving requests. I’d like a t-shirt please that DOESN’T have any Disney characters on it worked! Instead I got a t-shirt with a bulldog in a baby swing.
So now that it is 7 P.M. I’m going to end this as I only have a few more hours left in clear conscience to be able to say “Out of my room, it’s time out from mommy, remember?!” Again, this works on husbands as well as kids.
Happy Mother’s Day!