Today is Mother's Day. The day where even mediocre mothers like me pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for the long days we spend tending to the needs of our children. It is a day that forces our husbands to pick up the housework and take care of the needs of the kiddos to pay reverence for the fact that we sacrificed our bodies to grow and bear their offspring. That's my favorite part.
I remarked to my husband yesterday that we were going to go out to breakfast for Mother's Day. He said, "Oh, I thought you wanted breakfast in bed." I said, "Well, it's 7 pm and we don't have any breakfast food in the house." "Well, I was going to wake up early in the morning and go get you breakfast." I thought about this for a minute. I wake up super early so not many places would be open. I then tried to get inside my husband's head and I knew what he was thinking. "You are planning to wake up early and get me a McMuffin and serve me a McMuffin in bed, aren't you?" He was completely silent. I laughed. "Seriously, tell me that was not the plan." He shrugged, "McMuffins are good. I don't see the problem with that." I was hysterical, I was laughing so hard. "Honey, I hate McDonald's - but I appreciate the thought." I am not a high class chick by any stretch of the imagination but I do not want McMuffins in bed on Mother's Day unless I wanted McDiarrhea.
My little one had a sleepover last night and I woke up to my 8 year bringing me a cup of coffee and a little white bag. She kissed me and said, "Mom, I got a present for you." I opened it up and pulled out a handmade card, she wrote in perfect cursive, "Roses are red, violets are blue; if mother's were flowers - I'd pick you!" So sweet. I pulled out a small painted candle holder with a heart on it. "There is candy in there too, mom. Will you share it with me?" Of course. She ate the good ones. We got dressed and went to pick up my 6 year old and head to breakfast. She had made me a necklace and an apron with a little worm made out of her fingerprints. It was so cute. I love home made gifts.
We tried to go to Perkins but apparently it went out of business. So we drove to the IHOP. There was a line out the door. "We are not eating here. Let's see what's down this other road." So we are driving down this country road and I KNEW there was nowhere to eat. My husband was not so convinced. So we are driving, and I am starving and my husband is pointing and saying things like, "Bojangles is open." Oh.my.God. After 20 minutes, I was like, "Just go to Dunkin Donuts." I actually hate doughnuts but I was starved and annoyed. We walk in and I am just standing there looking at the menu and my husband could tell that I was not happy. He turned to me and said, "Look on the bright side, you are in one of the finest doughnut establishments in the country." "Just get me a number 5." I took the kids outside and we sat at a table next to the parking lot. We chatted and my husband brought out our breakfast. I didn't imagine that I would be pulling my Mother's Day breakfast from a brown paper bag. We sat and ate. I asked him how his breakfast sandwich was. "Crispy." He turned it to reveal that it was half burnt. We laughed and laughed. He pulled out a doughnut from the bag. "I got this special one for you." It was a heart with pink frosting and pink heart jimmies. The guy just threw it in the bag all haphazardly and it was smeared and smushed. It looked so sad. It was the most pathetic doughnut we had ever seen. It was a breakfast I will remember always.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing. I hosted dinner for my mother and my sister. The kids played outside. As the kids were getting ready for bed I said to my husband, "I really love being a mom." He said, "You can thank me for that." I smiled, "Oh, really?" "Well, you wouldn't be a mom without me." I nodded, "You're right, I know it was a huge sacrifice for you." He hugged me, "It was a few minutes of really hard work." He is so funny.
We put the kids to bed and they kissed me. "I love you mom. You're the best mom EVER."
I don't know about that. I try really hard. I am not a perfect mother but my children will always know that I believe that they are smart and beautiful and that I will never give up on them. That I will love them no matter what. I hope they realize that they are lucky to be loved like that. I am so incredibly blessed. I have two healthy, beautiful children. They are smart and funny, they are exceptional conversationalists. They are kind and quirky. They give the best hugs and kisses. They are the reason I exist. Mothers do so much. We break up fights, we dry tears, we cook for our children and clean their clothes, we wipe bloody knees and kiss boo-boos, we clean vomit and dirty faces, we help with homework and give encouragement. We do this selflessly with little thanks. Mother's suffer. We watch our children grow and face their own challenges. We carry fear (once you become a mom - every stranger is a potential child predator or serial killer). We worry about whether they will make the right choices. We give them everything and make them our world even though we know that to do our job well means that one day they won't need us. I treasure everyday with my girls - I still have them little. They are my greatest accomplishments.
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