Mother’s Day is tricky. It’s the one day our families are supposed to recognize our value and show us how much we’re appreciated. The one day we’re supposed to have “off” and not have to lift a finger. We have expectations of how the day will go, but as with many things in life, things don’t always go as planned.
Kids fight. Husbands let us down. We balance our own needs as a mom against the needs of our mothers, step-mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers…the list goes on. Our kids’ ideas of how to celebrate us aren’t even close to how we actually want to be celebrated. Plans go awry for no good reason because…life.
And then there’s the mental battle of Mother’s Day. We look around and see all the work waiting for us tomorrow. We mentally criticize our husband’s care of the children because we just can’t let go of control. And we compare our day to those filling our social media feeds and identify all the ways ours come up short.
The terrible irony of Mother’s Day is this: those mamas who desperately need it the most are those least likely to get a good one. The one in the trenches with littles; the overworked and overwhelmed; the mom whose marriage is struggling or whose family life is stressful; the mother at constant odds with her teen; the woman fighting invisible battles that nobody ever sees.
So to the mom who had a disappointing Mother’s Day, you’re not alone. It was not the day you deserved or a reflection of your value. And though it might not be reflected in your Facebook feed, there are lots of other moms who feel the same. Disappointed, unappreciated, let down. Maybe even unlucky.
Mom, one day could never capture your worth. And though it might not feel like it today, days are coming when your heart will feel so full you think it might burst. Those moments will probably appear on the most mundane of days, when they aren’t tempered by the weight of anticipation, their beauty natural and unforced.
And they will outshine this disappointing Mother’s Day and make it nothing but a distant memory.
I promise.
