At age 11, I started to babysit. I knew then I wanted to be a mom. I have a wonderful mom and had a special grandma who each parented quite differently. I loved being pregnant and I miss the days when my children were so needy of me – even though it was exhausting in the moment. Motherhood, parenthood, is challenging to say the least. It’s life changing. We each have a story – it could be about an amazing mother or perhaps an absent mother, about a grandparent or father or older sibling who has filled the role of mother or the playmate that mom just couldn’t be, about our own experience as a mom, about the parenthood in our ‘non-traditional’ family… We each have a story. For some, Mother’s Day is day of joyful celebration where we forget the pain of childbirth and focus on the intrinsic rewards of motherhood. We may be celebrating our own mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, daughter who has become a mom… In my opinion, mother’s day (and father’s day) could be celebrated every day. Our parents gave us life. How they nurture us, though, varies from family to family. For some, this is a day that brings up trauma, sadness, loss… It’s a day when some of us find ourselves alone, or prefer to be alone and others prefer to be with our children or parents. However you spend this day, and with whomever you spend this day, we hope you are filled with joy. Whatever this day is for you, know that we support you, appreciate you, and we send you love.
