Dear Nécessité Readers,
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, new and experienced; to anyone who is a mother to someone in any capacity.
I believe mothers can be mothers to children, pets, and family members. We can be used as a vessel to mother from the heart, instead of from the experience of pregnancy. A mother is a mother.
This is one of the most special roles someone can experience in life. In this role as a mother, we become students again. We are forever learning, growing, and evolving. There’s no manual for it — it is one of the only things we can do in life that offers no certification, degree, or even a class to pass. It comes from the heart. It comes from hands-on experience as we go. It is one of life’s greatest blessings.
From day one, our kids are given wings. It’s our job to nurture those wings, to prepare them to fly and soar, in preparation for that moment when they take off on their life’s journey. All we can do is trust that we have given them strong wings — and wings that are for them, not for our own personal expectation. We can only pray and believe that we absolutely did our best to give them the tools to fly in their own direction. But when they take off, we are still always “mom.” We can never be replaced. There is truly only one of them and only one of us.
One thing I’ve learned along the way is to avoid “mom guilt” — only we make it exist, anyway. We may be mothers, but we are entitled to also spread our wings. To play, restore, regroup, rebalance, re-evaluate, and recharge. Cherish yourself. No one needs an explanation. Breaks are necessary.
Do what needs to be done to keep yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually in balance. After all, that’s how you stay healthy for life’s biggest role.
This Mother’s Day, smile inside, too. Pamper yourself, nurture yourself, take this day to do what you want to do — even if that means staying under the sheets all day and not taking a shower and leaving your house a mess and laundry piled up. If you need to cry, cry. It is OK. Buy yourself flowers, write yourself a letter. Write a letter to your child. Treat yourself to a material gift that reminds you that you deserve it — because you do.
We work nonstop, and this role is 365 days a year, 24/7. Whatever you choose to do, do it being grateful for this huge, wonderful blessing you’ve been given.
Know that it is a true honor and privilege to be a mother, so thank yourself as well as those you mother. Enjoy, with love and grace always.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Love,