Not Just Mothers

It’s almost Mother’s Day! Lately, I’ve been thinking about this whole motherhood thing and how vast of a job it really is. As I pondered this, it struck me that we’re not “just” mothers.

We are CEOs, balancing finances and organizing supply acquisition; coordinating schedules and multi-tasking household chores; negotiating with babysitters, daycares, pediatricians and principals; fearlessly taking on those who challenge what we know to be best in order to protect that which we are building.

We are magicians, waving our magic wand to make lost pacifiers and Transformers and car keys appear out of thin air.

We are superwomen, using our powers of good to heal bumped heads and skinned knees with a single kiss.

We are musicians, singing our children to sleep at night and making up silly songs to elicit smiles.

We are keepers of tradition, taking the customs that we learned from our parents and passing them on to our own children in the hopes that they will do the same.

We are chefs, infusing our family’s food with love.

We are teachers, patiently bestowing upon our children the skills they will need to be successful in life.

We are historians, carefully documenting family milestones in pictures and journals, scrapbooks and photo albums.

We are coaches, guiding our children and cheering them on as they learn to take their first steps, say their first words, and make their first friends.

We are engineers, meticulously designing paper airplanes and cardboard box dollhouses, Lego towers and Popsicle stick mansions.

We are lawyers, defending our children’s rights and advocating for justice to a world that sometimes just does not make sense.

We are counselors, helping our children learn to manage their emotions, soothing their bruised egos, teaching them how to negotiate life, and standing by them as they discover and find ways to love who they are.

We are artists, coloring and gluing and cutting alongside our children.

We are executive assistant, seamlessly weaving together schedules of play dates and T-ball games, pediatrician visits and soccer practice, park outings and school concerts.

We are police officers, enforcing bedtimes and healthy food choices, card game rules and quiet zones.

We are nurses, triaging our children’s wounds, taking temperatures and giving Tylenol, keeping bedside vigils all through the night.

We are weavers of dreams, suppliers of hope, and fountains of love. And we are so much more.

This Mother’s Day, take the time to celebrate all you do and all you are. You deserve it. :)