Today is mother’s day. While we all agree that every day should be mother’s day, we dedicate the 21^st of March to appreciating our own mothers and ourselves as moms.

We think of our mothers and how they raised us. About their sacrifices. The dreams they weren’t able to fulfill. The nights they stayed up waiting for us to come home. The nice things they didn’t buy for themselves because we were their priority. The draining afternoons when they helped us study. The candles they lit when we were away. The care they take of our children. The advice they gave us when we didn’t even want to listen. Their sleepless nights when we were just babies. The friends they didn’t approve of for good reasons. The boyfriend they didn’t want us to date because he was a bad influence.  The list goes on and even though at times we felt their words or actions were uncalled for, they reflected a deep caring for us and a fear of how we will turn out to be as adults. As teenagers we never understood our mothers or their perspectives, but as we become mothers ourselves we know how hard those years were for them. We do have the chance now to tell our moms how we feel, show them we appreciate them, say the words that were left unspoken.

When it comes to celebrating our day as mothers, it is important to reflect on how our journey is helping us grow as individuals. How our once selfish ways have become totally dedicated to the little beings that dictate our lives in the best way possible. That it is ok to forgive ourselves and our shortcomings, to believe that perfection is not attainable, to let our outbursts slide. Our children need happy moms not perfect ones, and so long as we feel we are enough and we are doing enough, we will be the best parents to our kids. So let us take this day as a reminder of how motherhood is tough yet gentle and has ups and downs, let us be reminded that the seeds we plant are those we sow in the future, and that no effort is as immense as being a mother!

Happy mother’s day!

Maria Najem

Photo: newkidscenter.com