It's Mother's Day. Lots of family dinners and pictures of our moms to celebrate the women who birthed or raised us. But as the saying goes, it takes a village.
Yes, we do the hard work of raising ourselves and our kids in our own homes. But there are other women in our lives who also nurture and support and help in whatever way they can. Whether they mother us, or help us mother our kids, they make a difference in our lives. The don't always get the recognition they deserve for their nurturing and mothering instincts. I hope you will realize the influence you have on those around you. Those gestures of love and support that you instinctively offer that you don't even think about? They make you your own perfect version of a mother to the people you nurture every single day.
I'm talking to you, Cool Moms of our Kids Friends! The ones who include our kiddos in your family activities and love them as much as we do, who celebrate their successes and worry about their trials, who listen and encourage and offer the same advice we would offer, but in a totally non-parental way, so our kids sometimes actually listen.
We're waving to you from our cars, Crosswalk Guard Mom, who knows the name of every kid whom she helps across the street. They know you'll know if their friend has already left school without them and that you'll make their brother wait for them if he's supposed to, even if he doesn't want to. They love when you notice new clothes or a new hairstyle. Our kids start and end their school day knowing they can count on you for a hug, a smile, and a kind word, regardless of how bad their day was.
I'm throwing some love to the Grocery Store/Church Pew Mamas. The ones who head off a toddler meltdown in the Grocery store with a hard candy or a game of peek-a-boo in the chapel from 3 rows back because an exhausted mother can't find her coping skills.
How about the "Mom" of our best friend's group? The one who thoughtfully remembers everyone's birthday and who knows everyone's favorite food, color, celebrity crush and shoe size. The one who instinctively knows when we need a break from life and comes to scoop us up for a girls night out. Or who simply checks in with a text or a PM to let us know she's thinking about us.
Shout out to all the Work Moms in our offices. The ones who adopt their work families and find ways to care for their coworkers each day. The ones who bring food. Who offer advice and counsel about personal and work-related issues. The ones who recognize when work is hard and we are tired, who stop by our cubicles with a treat, a funny meme, or a Post-It with a kind thought. The ones who think to check on us when we're not at work, to make sure we're okay.
There are so many more examples of Momming that I am missing, but you get the picture. As women, we all fill that role somehow, somewhere as we go about the daily grind of living. Whether you realize it or not, you fill a void for someone who needs a mothering influence in their life.
So to all the women in my life who provide support and care in so many different ways, Happy Mother's Day! I hope you all feel loved and appreciated for the unique and necessary support you each bring to the world on the daily. You make a difference. ❤❤
