It's Mother's Day.
A day where we celebrate the women who have shaped us and guided our lives.
Those women aren't always the same women who gave birth to us.
It's important to acknowledge that on this day.
For many people, this is a really hard holiday.
The posts on social media celebrating the amazing moms out there who have it all together.
The cards that go on and on with words of love and appreciation for the mom who made such an impact on our lives.
For those of us who didn't have that picture perfect mom, this just reminds us of what should have/could have been.
But wasn't.
And then add to that having kids of our own, and celebrating Mother's Day from both sides.
It's enough to make our heads spin.
I'm grateful to have strong, supportive women in my life. Women who have had similar and very different experiences than mine.
Every year around this time, we talk about Mother's Day. We share stories about our kids and our hopes and dreams for them.
And we talk about the stuff that frustrates us, and the times when we feel like we're doing it all wrong.
Which can be often.
We want so badly for our kids to realize how hard we work for them, to listen to us and appreciate everything we do for them.
Especially on Mother's Day.
What we forget is that they are still just kids. Even the ones that are 6-feet tall and think they are bulletproof.
They are still looking at the world through the eyes of a child.
They don't yet know or understand how complex life is.
Or how badly their Mom just wants to have them give her a giant hug, then look her in the eye and say "Thank you."
We hope for this grand gesture, when in reality, our kids are saying thank you in lots of little ways.
This Mother's Day, we should try to take a step back and see the world through their eyes too.
A few weeks ago, I had an experience that made this very clear to me.
I had my niece overnight and we had what I thought was a pretty ordinary evening. We painted nails, colored, and read books. Then made pancakes together for breakfast and went for a walk.
On the way back to my house, she told me that she couldn't wait to tell all her friends about the "amazing adventure" she had with me.
To me it was ordinary.
To her it was amazing.
This Mother's Day, let's try to let go of the expectations we have of how today should be.
Give ourselves some grace for being perfectly imperfect human beings.
Laugh at the things that don't go the way we expect.
Smile and relax and really appreciate the little moments.
Find the amazing in the ordinary.
It's there if you choose to see it.
Happy Mother's Day!
To all of the women in my life who have supported me, built me up, listened to me, held me when I needed to cry, and just generally kept me sane - I love you all!
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