Mother's Day: What Mom Means to Me

This Sunday is all about the woman who went through ____ hours of pain (this number seems to increase with every single walk down memory lane) to bring you into this world, who put every single art project on the refrigerator no matter how frightening it actually was, who wasn’t afraid to tell you she didn’t like your outfit even if you didn’t ask, and who was the first to give you a standing ovation for your role as beauty school dropout #5 in your high school production of Grease.

That’s right – I’m talking about celebrating all those women out there this Mother’s Day.

But to be honest, I hate the phrase “Mother’s Day”. Not once have I ever referred to my mom as “mother”. For me, “mother” is a word that conjures up images of a woman immediately handing her newborn over to her au pair and sending her five year old child off to boarding school in some remote European village or Norman Bates dressed in his dead mother’s mumu and wielding a knife.

But for me, mom is something completely different. It’s the woman who never thought you were too old for a hug or a kiss. It’s the woman who wasn’t afraid of being “the bad guy,” the one to tell you “no” when no one else would because it was for your own good (and dammit, she was right). It’s the woman who taught you that love is unconditional and never ending. It’s the woman who shaped who you are today: a wife, a mother, a friend, a productive member of society.

^{Amazing Moms: my mom and sister-in-law}

And what’s beautiful about that term of endearment is that it can be used for anyone who showed you unconditional love and support, whether it be your actual mom or someone who selflessly stepped into the role.

So what does mom mean to you? Here’s just some of the ways we define one of life’s greatest roles.

Amy

To me, MOM is the woman you love dearly and then spend 99% of your time in therapy discussing.

^Source

Also, moms are great at desserts.

Patricia

Me as a MOM – they are only little once. Take time to cuddle, pick dandelions, follow a trail of ants, splash in puddles. My house will never be HGTV clean because we are too busy enjoying the little people.

^Source