Happy Mom's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!  It's going to be a beautiful day today.

So this week, on Facebook, TV shows, and in talking to my other mom-friends, it has become VERY clear to me that all most moms want for Mother's Day is some relaxation, and yes they may admit this in whispers, but TIME ALONE.

Funny how on this day, that's almost never what a mom gets.  We get big messy breakfasts in bed.  Or brunches at some fancy place.  Flowers.  We have family gatherings.  Maybe dinners out.  Gifts.  I know everyone does it differently, but I don't know any mom who doesn't have a busy day on Mother's Day.  And, by the way, we are always the ones doing the shopping and/or cleaning or cooking.  And it's not that they're not fun, or we don't appreciate the sentiment.

My Mother's Days used to be crazy.  I would do Race for the Cure in the early morning, then meet up with my side of the family for brunch at a nice restaurant where there was usually mimosas (yum) and a chocolate fountain (yum) or something like that, and all the moms would exchange gifts (that the moms all shopped for).  Then we hurry out to meet up with the hubby's side of the family.  Here there would be about 8 or 10 moms that we would have shopped for gifts for.  There would be a large rowdy gathering and gift exchange.  This would go on until the end of the day, when we would come home exhausted.

It was fun.  It was.  I did enjoy the day.  But if ever asked, that is not my first choice of how I would have liked to spend it.

Sadly, over the years, Mother's Day has changed slowly.  We lost three key moms on my hubby's side in a span of 8 years.  His darling Aunt, his mom, and Nana.  They were all devastating losses, and we are now left with my generation of moms being the only moms in the group.  So obviously that has changed the day.  We don't even gather with the whole side of the family anymore for Mom's Day.  I still get little gifts for my sisters-in-law, but that's about it.  And sadly, we usually make a trek out to the cemetery.

Anyway, I have a point with all this.  We as moms, like I said before, tend to want some alone time and some quiet relaxation for Mother's Day.  While we appreciate the sweet homemade cards from our kids, and the sentiment behind our hubbies stressing out over "what to get us", what we really want is a day to step out of ourselves.  Funny how on "Mother's Day", we wish we could take a day off from being a mother.  But here's my idea:  Embrace Mother's Day.  Embrace the Hallmark-yness about it.  Enjoy your cards, your corsage, your free flower at brunch, seeing all the other busy moms out there while you're out and about today.  Enjoy being a mother today.  Get outside into the beautiful spring air and look at your family in the sunshine.  Relish the fact that YOU made that family.  Wish yourself a happy Mother's Day. Eat naughty pastry at brunch.  Enjoy a cocktail at dinner time.  Hug your kids, and gush about whatever they give you.  Kiss your hubby on the mouth for the effort he put into making your day today.  Give in to the craziness.

And make it clear to your hubby or whoever else that you need to that you are giving yourself a Mother's Day gift.  That one day this week, not Sunday, but another day, you have given yourself from sun up to sun down.  You will leave the house.  By yourself.  You will not be seeing your family that day, and they don't even need to know where you are.  And do it.  Leave.  Go to Target by yourself.  Go buy a ridiculously over-priced cup of coffee.  Go to an antiques store.  Look at furniture.  Whatever.  Walk around a lake.  Go see a movie and keep all the popcorn and pop for yourself.  Sit outside and read 50 Shades of Grey.  Get your hair done.  Whatever!  That is your Mother's Day gift to yourself.  And when you get home that night, you will be happy to see your family.  Your heart rate will thank you.

That's my plan, anyway.

Happy Mother's Day!