Mother's Day

Although this column is called Daddy Days I'd like to pay homage to moms on this Mother's Day eve. After all, dads wouldn’t exist without moms and this column wouldn’t exist without dads so it’s thanks to moms that you’re even reading this right now. Take a moment to hug the nearest mom.

Ok, so maybe there are bigger reasons to be thankful for mothers than this column. For one, much in the same way that I managed to co-opt Mother’s Day in the first few sentences of this column, moms regularly allow their children to make everything about themselves.

Mom, I’m hungry! Mom, I’m thirsty! Mom, I want this! Mom, I want to do that! Mom’s name is called all the time, but consideration for her feelings often doesn’t cross kids’ (and teenagers’ and husbands’…) minds. That’s a shame and one special day a year doesn’t do justice to that kind of selflessness.

My dad went to special lengths to remind my four siblings and me to be grateful for the gift our mom was (and still is). When we were kids, Dad would take us out to eat on our birthdays (this was a big deal). Even though this was a special treat, our birthdays weren't just about us. After we'd had dinner, Dad would take us to the store so we could pick out a gift for Mom to thank her for having us. The gift was never anything big (and it was always a coffee cup) but the impression it left on me was. Mom had to give me a birthday for me to have one to celebrate.

Of course, a special gesture on our birthdays didn’t make up for all the sacrifices Mom made for us, or the trouble we caused her. Because let’s be real, at the end of the day what was Mom left with? Dirty dishes, dirty diapers, dirty laundry, and a cabinet full of corny coffee mugs. Hardly the pampering and thanks a mom deserves.

I don’t write this with the expectation that moms are ever going to get the recognition they’ve certainly earned. (Mostly I’m writing this to solidify my position as the favorite sibling. Take that, Daniel). And thankfully most moms don’t approach motherhood thinking that either. No, moms march into the battle that is motherhood expecting little, getting less, and changing us all for the better.

At a bare minimum, I hope this serves as a reminder for you to thank your mom for all she did (and still does), and to get her something for Mother’s Day tomorrow. If the store’s out of flowers don’t bother looking for a coffee mug though. I already cleaned them out.