My 1st Mothers Day

Today is the first day I qualify to receive a "happy Mother's Day." I've been a mother now (in my mind at least) for over a year. I found out last year around the end of April that I was pregnant and from that moment forward I was mentally becoming a mother. But I have only really completely experienced motherhood for a little over 4 months (or 18 weeks if you want to be real exact about it).

Everyone has a mother, whether she is alive or dead, raised you or not, adopted or biological. Some people have more than one "mother figure" in their lives. In my mind, a true mother is one who loves her children (biological or not) without hesitation nor condition. A mother is a creature of comfort, a teacher, a close friend and confidant. A mother attempts to raise you to be a socially acceptable human being, a good mother attempts to raise you to be MORE than just socially acceptable. She raises you to be kind and good to others. She raises you to value people and to value yourself. She teaches you to enjoy learning, to discover as much as you can about the world around you. A good mother nurtures your personality and encourages you to figure out for yourself who you are and what you want out of life.

I like to believe that most are trying their best to be good mothers. I know I am. And though that leaves a lot of room for me to feel inadequate or lots of guilt, when my baby reaches for me, when I pick her up and she instantly stops crying, when I take her to her pediatrician appointments and she's thriving, I am rewarded in knowing that (so far) I am doing a good job.

Mothers today are lucky. We have a lot of information (good and bad) at our fingertips that can be very helpful to us. We have a lot of support from society (a lot more than mothers from older generations had). Being a stay-at-home mom or a working mom might still spark a debate for some, but I think that, overall, both are respected by most. I think most people appreciate the need for some moms to work, and most appreciate how hard it is to be a stay-at-home mom (we don't think those that are twiddle their thumbs all day while eating bon-bons and watching Desperate Housewives).

Being a Mom is a lot tougher than I thought it would be.. and I barely just got in the ring. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for my Mom, who went from 2 to 4 kids when she married my step-dad, and then had to raise us very often alone because my step-dad traveled so much.

I feel like I can finally appreciate other moms out there, it is hard being a mom. It is hard worrying about another human being constantly... and just because they grow-up doesn't mean it gets any easier watching them live their lives and make mistakes. I know that motherhood is a difficult title to take on, but I am so thankful to have the opportunity to take it on. I am so in love with my daughter, and I am so glad that (to me) motherhood means lots and lots of love, and the opportunity to contribute an amazing person to society.

Happy Mother's Day!