Other Mommy's minds...

I tend to procrastinate by reading random mommy blogs. I typically find them reassuring. It helps to know that some of my kid’s quirky behaviors are simply because they are kids, not because they have some horrifying mental deficiency. There are so many intelligent, well written blogs in the mommy realm that they always make me think, and often make me re-evaluate my own mommy mind.

As most of you (hopefully all of you) know, Mother's Day occurred recently. It seems in the mommy blog world there is a trend of mother's who find mother's day to be unnecessary. It seems the most rampant reason for this theory is that we should respect mothers year round and we shouldn't need someone to tell us that a mom deserves recognition. While I agree 100% with these statements, it made me think about my relationship with my mom. One of the great things about family is that, although you should appreciate the things they do, it is okay to expect them to be there for you and help you when help is needed. With this dynamic, it is easy to take them for granted, almost inevitable. As a mother, I am not sure I would want it any other way. I want my children to expect me to be there for them no matter what.

However, I find that I enjoyed Mother's Day more as a daughter then as a Mother. I don't need a day to tell me I am a good mom and my kids love me, but perhaps my kids need a day to show me that I am special to them. Is it possible that by diminishing the importance of this day, we are taking something away from our kids? As women and mothers, we tend to take care of our families needs without demand or thought. Perhaps we don't allow them to reciprocate as much as they would like. Perhaps Mother's Day is the one day they can pamper us and show us how much they appreciate what we do for them.

So, my official stance on Mother's Day is that as long as my children want to do something for me, I will be excited to participate in the events of the day. After all, as a mother, I am most comfortable making sure my children are happy, and if pampering me makes them happy, who am I to complain...

Happy Mother's Day!

My mother is perhaps one of the most amazing people I know. She is one of those people who loves unconditionally and will always put people first. However, she is also strong and is more than capable of sticking up for herself when it is necessary. I know that I can call my mom at 3:00 in the morning and she will be there to listen and I know that she will always find a way to help me no matter what it takes. She is amazing.

A couple of years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was one of the hardest things to ever happen to me, so I can't imagine how hard it was for her and my dad (and my sister, who was there to help mom through it). I consider myself lucky that I didn't have to see her daily struggles; I think it probably would have killed me. Of course, as she is my mother, she knew this and kept most of her pain from me, she was very brave for my sake and I thank her for that.

Today is Mother's Day and today Major League Baseball is covered in pink to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. So, if you feel like today is a good day for baseball, head out to your local MLB game and see all the players use pink bats and run pink ribbon bases. It is the third year of the event and is sure to be another success. Remember, most of the items used in the games will be auctioned off here. If you are interested, you can get some great sports memorabilia and help some amazing people, like my mom.

So, Happy Mother's Day to all of you! Especially to my mom who I love more than she will ever know.

I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to my sister. Although we may never see eye to eye (and she didn’t call Isobel back to share her favorite princess), she is an amazing mother and has made a difference in so many lives. She is able to handle an immense amount of stress while still maintaining her composure. I will always be grateful that she was strong enough to be there for our mom, when I wasn't.