Mother's Day 2014

I am not a fan of Mother's Day.  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of anything that makes me the center of attention, so that rules out birthday's too.  I REALLY don't like to be the center of attention.  It makes me uncomfortable.

I also don't like it when the kids are little and The Coach feels like he has to make a big to-do about Mother's Day for the kids because they are too little to pull it off on their own.  I am not his Mother.  He has his own Mother and I love that he goes out of his way for her on Mother's Day, but I do not want him to go out of his way for me on Mother's Day.  The kids should do that.  After all, I am their Mother.  The best thing he can do for me on Mother's Day is set a good example to them about how to  treat their Mother by the way he treats his own.  

When the kids are little, I get plenty of homemade cards, macaroni necklaces, terrible breakfasts in bed, and homemade coupon booklets for things like "back scratching" or "cleaning the toilet".  I got a little panic from Jack this year.

Jack:  "Dad said tomorrow is Mother's Day and we are going to take care of you."

Me:  "So why are you so sad looking?"

Jack:  "Because I'm scared to death, that's why.  What's gonna happen if you don't take care of us?  We're all gonna DIE.  Nobody in this house can take care of anybody except for YOU Mom."

And a message from Jamaal first thing past midnight, well before I was even awake.

"Happy Mother's Day Ma, I love you… Have a great Mother's Day, you deserve it."

How sweet.  Those are the little things that make Mother's Day what it is to me.  

In spite of Jack's fears, we all survived the day.  The Coach got the boys ready for church, The Coach cooked us dinner and nobody got food poisoning.  Bo said "thank you" several times today in the correct context and without prompting, Jack colored me pictures and Justice bought a 15 dollar soda at Six Flags.  (Ha!)

I'm pretty sure I can speak for all women when I say all we really hope for is that we are doing something right in the arena of Motherhood.  And it's hard to tell.  Sometimes you just don't know.  You just wing it.  And then one day, on Mother's Day, you wake up to a card and some flowers.  And then you know.  

Mother's Day is not about gifts.  Well, to me it's not.  It's about the little people.  And the not so little ones.

The ones that know that even though I want to strangle them, I won't. I love them unconditionally instead.