Yesterday, across the nation, mothers were celebrated with a plethora of flowers, chocolates, Alex and Ani bracelets and Instagram posts with a paragraph about how much they are loved. Yesterday, most families woke up early Sunday morning, brought their mom breakfast in bed, put on their Sunday's best and headed off to church to please the wishes of their mom that might not always be granted. Yesterday, services of mother appreciation proceeded and they were celebrated for the love and compassion they shower upon us everyday. Yesterday, families headed off to lunch (mostly all to O'Charley's because there was almost a two-hour wait) and spent the rest of the day honoring the woman who has given them everything.
Today mothers woke up at dawn to try to get their kids ready for school, fuss with them about what they would wear, fix them breakfast and attempt to pull into the school at a decent time. Today mothers will receive an overwhelming amount of sass from their teenagers, a call from their college student for money and a turned down visit from their children that have already moved away. Today mothers will either go to work, or stay at home cooking, cleaning, paying bills or any other "womanly duties" that must be completed. Today mothers will cook their children dinner, attempt to motivate them to finish their homework, get them ready for bed and finally sit down to have time for themselves or go to sleep.
Tomorrow mothers will wake up and complete the whole process once again and enjoy every second of it.
Mother's Day is a beautiful holiday that praises the hard work and dedication every mother invests in every child — wholeheartedly. I love being able to take a day to pamper and care for my mother's needs instead of it being vice versa, but our mothers deserve more than just a national holiday.
Our mothers are absolute superheroes. They not only have to keep one life together, but most of the time ours as well — and they do it seamlessly. In situations we cannot handle most of the time, they take the broom, sweep up the mess and put down new flooring while they are at it.
Our mothers are unsung heroes with no recognition, but they honestly play their role with utmost joy. They have molded us into lawyers, doctors, politicians, novelists and world-changers. She is there with spoonfuls of ice cream whenever a boy has broken our hearts and is on the sidelines at every single soccer/basketball/whatever sport we decide to start next being our biggest cheerleader. Mothers are multi-taskers, which means they can change a diaper, answer the phone, vacuum the whole house, cook Easy Mac, put on lipstick and learn Kung Fu while at it.
She is a trademark that we will take with the rest of our lives. Her imprint has affected the person that we have become; whether we appreciate the "mom conscious" in the back of our minds or not. She has stayed consistent even through our most terrible attitude and disposition. She has praised us in our triumphs and comforted us in our defeats. She has been the constant support that we could not live without. She has made us us.
Mother's are world changers. They have changed the planet we live on.
So while you might still be appreciating your mom on the height of the Mother's Day celebration, remember that the other 364 days you are still the product of superhero. Not only take the one day out of the year to shower her with affection, but present the same gratitude for an entire lifetime. She has sacrificed a lot to make sure you have everything, and to return even a portion of that favor would be worth it in the long run.
Hug your mom and tell her you love her more than you're "expected" to. Do the chores, that we all hate, with a willing vitality and want to help her in any way possible. Write her a poem or even get a cheap one-dollar card from the grocery store – small gestures like this can turn her whole day, even week, around. Be her superhero.
So whether it's Mother's day, the day after Mother's day or months after Mother's day, acknowledge all of the wonderful things your mom has done for you — not to feel good about yourself, but to make her feel good about the person she has created.
