Mother’s Day: Cherish Mothers, Honor Yourself

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”
–G. D. Anderson

Cherish Mothers

Ever heard that saying “the toughest job you’ll ever love”? Surely, they were talking about being a mom. Despite women having more opportunities than ever, none of the responsibilities have been taken away, they’ve simply been added to –making our job even harder. And hard not just because of the physicality and time constraints of the job, like juggling the day-to-day activities of feeding, school, activities, keeping up with laundry, and surviving the day more or less injury-free. But hard emotionally –providing unconditional love when you don’t always feel like it, hanging in there when children disrupt and interrupt your barely managed day. And don’t even get me started on the constant call for patience –I don’t have the time! Being a mom is hard. And I wouldn’t change that aspect of my life for the world . . .

In addition to raising my 20-something children, I recently gave birth (thank you IVF–story for another time) to twins. I’m 4’11 and they were 7 lbs each –you do the math. Raising them, being a committed and loving spouse, and running my own business, I know a thing or two about hard. Perhaps that’s why I’m so passionate about this one day –this one, very special day, in which we honor our mothers and mothers honor themselves.

When I was pregnant with the twins, I had a lot of help from family. I admit, I was lucky. But you know what was really nice? The clearing lady who cared for my house every single week. With the massive transition that my body and our lives had undergone, having someone who took something off my overflowing plate and provided the clean and calm environs was, well, such a blessing. I’m proud that we can offer that same gift to other families. Certainly making a meal is one way to honor your mother (and yourself?). But here are some great Mother’s Day ideas. Relieving her of one of the many commitments with the best housekeeping services, those deep cleaning services, or even just a one-time cleaning service, will go such a long way of showing her that you realize just how much –seen and unseen– she does.

Honor Yourself

Look, this is my day too. I work so hard for everyone else that just for this one day, this one day out of 365 days, I want to enjoy it my way. You know, I’m not really a red roses and chocolate kind of person. And so, I ensure that there is something about this day, my day, that I love and that is truly me. I loved it when my husband took me to a concert –it showed that he really knew me and knew what I loved. I also say “no” to things that otherwise I’d feel obligated to attend. That’s right, I really and truly claim this day as mine (and all mothers’) and ensure that I take time to honor myself in the process.