This Is Not About An Armadillo

I had a friend thank me for inspiring her to be a better mother today. It meant a lot to me because, to be honest, I feel like I’m the last person in the world who should be giving anyone inspiration on maternal living.

This is the first Mother’s Day when I’ve really felt like I “get it” with the appreciation.  Usually I just look at the flowers and question why anyone would want them since they’re just going to die anyway.

But this year is different, I think it’s because I’ve matured in the role enough to realize that moms work really, really hard.  It’s nice to have one day a year set aside to recognize that.

I grew up telling everyone I wanted to be a mom when I grew up.  I knew it was not wise to push that (as shows like Teen Mom prove) and so I concentrated on my education and career, waiting for Mr. Right to come along.

Somewhere along the way I realized I’m gifted at my career and working wasn’t just something to fill my “meantime.”  Then Mr. Right arrived and I had three chickadees in quick succession and now I’m caught sitting on a fence of trying to give fully to my family and my work.  And my writing, which is harder than it may seem.

(I just got a mental image of an armadillo riding a roller coaster and thought it would have some deeper significance to what I’m writing.  So I stopped and waited for the inspiration to become clear.  But it didn’t.  It’s just an image of an armadillo riding a roller coaster.  So Strange.)

My overarching point, minus the detour involving an armadillo, is it’s Mother’s Day.  Moms are really cool and they work much harder emotionally, physically and spiritually than I ever knew when I was a teenie-bopper trying to figure out what to do with my life and fearlessly said I wanted to be a mom when I grew up.

Here’s a huge thank you to the moms who face their fears because they know their kids are watching.  The ones who don’t say nasty things in a fit of road-rage because they’ve got something precious strapped into a car seat behind them.  Those who allowed a little person to enter their life and change everything they thought they knew about living.

Thanks to the moms who are figuring it all out – the moms who are reformed little girls, reformed party girls, reformed silly girls, still searching girls, still scared girls, still insecure girls, still confident girls – the women who are figuring out all their dreams while living in the trenches of child rearing!

YOU inspire ME!