Today millions of people in the world celebrate Mother’s Day. The day that we are showered with flowers, cute drawings and gifts. Don’t get me wrong. All of this is wonderful. It’s always nice to feel valued and be treated like a queen even if it’s just for a day. However, this should happen more often.
We all know that Mother’s Day has a Cinderella effect. Tomorrow, Monday, AKA the most unfortunate day for a mother, the spell is broken and we will be back to the routine. The carriage will turn into a pumpkin, in my case a Toyota Sienna in which a small civilization can easily be developing amid the pieces of food, dirty socks, sand and other amount of objects that I have not managed to remove.
So today is when we will sit down sipping mimosas in our traditional “Mother’s Day brunch” and reflect on the ways that motherhood has changed our lives. Then we’ll drop a tear or two while watching those drawings and beautiful words in the cards, or that badly painted flowerpot that is worth more than any gold in the world, because each one of those gifts reminds us that we would not change this life for anything in the world. And we feel proud because we are sure about something: motherhood gives you strength. In fact, we are more powerful than the entire assemble of “Avengers, Infinity War” and we know it. By the way, for the next film, they should put the moms of all those “missing Avengers” (at least the ones that are not dead of course) and you will see that Thanos will not last longer than five minutes and trust me, those moms will find them for sure wherever they are. Because in addition, moms have more ‘skills’ than Liam Neeson in the movie “Taken”. (Just saying …)
We know what it is to be a mother and what we really think but we not dare to say. But I’m going to sacrifice myself. I know that you fellow moms will understand me. As for the rest of you, it’s better to know the truth. I hope that after you read this you will understand a little more about moms, yours, your children’s mom, or other mom friends you may have in your life so you can stop considering us extraterrestrial beings.
These are 5 truths of being a mom.
1. At some point we have felt that we will end up in a psychiatric hospital.
Yes, our children drive us crazy sometimes so when you see a mom in a state of shock, alteration, or extreme emotion, do not be alarmed. It is part of our role but after these moments of temporary insanity, and after a dramatic reaction of relief, we soon go back to normal and become loving creatures again. Just give us some space and wait …
2. We have more imagination than Steven Spielberg.
A mom’s head is designed to create hypothetical scenarios. It is unavoidable. Everything stems from that uncontrollable need to protect our children from any danger. When you see a mother in silence, she is most likely analyzing a situation, and mentally creating a movie of something that she thinks may happen. Do not worry, fortunately we can do this while we are doing other activities at the same time.
3. Time is our greatest enemy.
It does not matter what kind of mom we are. We all need MORE time. For some reason 24 hours a day is not enough for everything we do. Besides it seems like “mom time” is always passing very quickly. One day we are changing diapers and the next day we are in a graduation. Hence the reason for the most famous phrase that comes from the lips of a mother: “They grow up so fast…” Do not judge us when we say it, we actually fight against time constantly because we want it to pass fast and not at the same time, and that’s a concept only a mom can understand.
4. We have a dream we never fulfilled because of motherhood…
It should be noted that we do not resent it. However, at some point we realize that there is a small void for that unfulfilled dream, also because we know for sure that we are not going to pursue it anymore. And we feel nostalgic and wonder what would have happened if we had taken another course. But do not worry, a mother has many dreams, and being a mother does not prevent a woman from achieving them. And they also change over time. So the thought of that unfulfilled dream, that moment of nostalgia and emptiness is ephemeral, almost imperceptible. Maybe it will come up again when we have more than two glasses of wine…
5. Many times we feel lonely and it hurts.
The loneliness that hurts a mom is not physical. Moreover, if there is something that a mom values is precisely those fleeting moments of silence at home, or being able to have a coffee before everyone gets up, or go to lunch without having to stand up 10 times to take someone to the bathroom … What hurts a mom and can freeze her heart is the emotional loneliness. There are times when we feel devalued, invisible, vulnerable. After all, we are not made of iron. These are moments in which we feel that nobody values that unconditional love, the one that makes us do the impossible for our loved ones. We see that day after day our actions are taken for granted. Our daily work is not appreciated. That does not make us love less, It just hits us hard and direct in the heart from time to time.
Ok, now you know. So I hope you celebrate and appreciate mothers beyond today. Value your moms, the mother of your children, and all the mothers you meet every day. In case you are wondering if we like flowers, jewelry, or other gifts to celebrate Mother’s Day, of course we do! But a mom’s heart really explodes with love and joy with those simple things that make us feel special, unique and loved every regular day. One last observation before saying goodbye … whenever you can give that special mom in your live a few hours alone so she can get some sleep. Believe me they will be very well remunerated. Guaranteed!
