We all know there’s a lot of hype around Mother’s Day but, let’s face it, Sunday is probably going to be like any other day for us childbearers. The kids won’t sleep in and the moratorium on sibling fighting will last about a half hour. We’ll still be cleaning up the kitchen, bandaging the knees, and making the beds. Guess it’s up to us to enjoy our moment anyway.
Maybe this year instead of expecting the overflow of gratitude from those for whom you offered life—NBD—you can extend love and appreciation to your fellow mama sojourners. After all, aren’t these women cheering you on the other 364 days a year? Here’s how to celebrate her well:
Send a heartwarming card. Make it hilarious or sentimental, but let your fellow mama know how much you admire her and why she’s making a difference. Be specific about those affirmations.
Suggest a date swap. The cost of babysitting dampens many a date night. Offer to take her kids one night so she and her sweetie can enjoy a nice dinner out and a chance to talk without interruption. She’ll do the same for you a few weeks later.
Leave flowers on her door. No need to sign a note. A cheerful surprise may be just what she needs to get through the week.
Snap a picture of her with her children. Someone tell me why this seems harder than marathon running some days. Her hair may not be fixed, her kids may be a muddy mess, and no one is wearing shoes, but dang it, get that photo so she can remind herself how much WORK she does every day to keep her crew together. If she’s still not convinced about being in the picture, forward her this article which changed my mind many years ago.
Don’t forget about the women who need to hear from you this Mother’s Day.
Your own mother, of course.
But also the friend who is motherless for the first time this year. Or motherless for the better part of a decade.
Reach out to the soon-to-be mama waiting on a promise, unsure if she can claim the day as her own.
Call the not-yet mama who wonders if this journey will ever be for her.
Encourage the heartbroken mama who has lost a baby to miscarriage this year.
And love on the single mama who is doing the job of two parents every single day.
Mother’s Day will look a little different for everyone this Sunday. Reminding each other that we’re on this journey together makes our feet a little steadier.
///Mother/Daughter photos by Carrie Coleman Photography///
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