So Many Hats

Let me start off by being fully transparent. When I was younger, I decided that I did not want to be mom. I wanted to have all the freedom of doing what I wanted, when I wanted, with no responsibilities of a family. Growing up, I watched my mother and thought her job was pretty easy. She was a stay home mom, always there when we left for school and home when we got back. She had us do chores each week and I did not think that was very fair since she was home all day. What did she do while we were off at school? She required us to do our homework at the kitchen table and we had to go to bed on time every night. She also made us tell her where we were going and who we would be with. Why did she always want to know what I was doing? I grew up thinking my mom was strict and always in my business! Boy, did I have a lot to learn!

I want to publicly declare that I am sorry Mom for not realizing what a job you had! The work of being a mother is never ending. What we do daily is often unknowledged, unrewarded and unappreciated. As a mom, my heart has been broken into a million pieces, my feeling been hurt or ignored, and my sanity questioned. I have cried a river of tears, yelled at the top of my lungs and laughed until my sides hurt. Motherhood is an insanely fast roller coaster ride that is not for the faint of hearts. I now realize that my mom wasn’t so bad and that her rules were there for a reason. I now really appreciate her. I am so glad I decided to be one myself and wouldn’t change anything! Thank you, God, for having the wisdom to allowing me to be a mother! I love being a mom and watching my two kids grow up to be responsible and respectful teenagers has been a blessing of its own.

I recently read this article by Ivan Dimitrijevic that I truly related too. Mothers walk a fine line between being a commander in chief and a friend. We wear so many hats ~ income earner, homemaker, referee, judge, jury, comedian, therapist, teacher and detective. We can change our hats on a dime depending on what is going on. As our children get older, we must develop new skills to help manage the change. New issues and challenges arise, and we step up to the plate with new solutions. We love our children with all of our hearts and give them our all. We always have their best interest in mind.

If you are a mom, I want to wish you the best Mother’s Day ever! Take this internationally recognized day to kick back and let your hair down. Maybe this is the year that you make an amends with a mom that you have not talked to in a while. Remember, we are all in this together! Appreciate yourself and all your hard work and know that you are doing your best. You are awesome!