Happy Mother’s Day!

I used to feel uncomfortable when people would wish me a happy Mother’s Day because I had a clear definition of motherhood back then. A mother was someone who had given birth to the children she raised. If you’d adopted children, you were entitled to accept that ‘blessing’ from others, but if like me you had raised the offspring of your departed sibling, you just didn’t count. I’m not sure why I felt that way since I had made every pediatrician appointment, nursed colds, flu, and the chicken pox. I’d changed diapers, toilet trained and taught children how to ride a bicycle. I’d cried when I didn’t know what to do when they cried. I’d wiped away tears, applied Band-Aids, helped with homework and explained where babies came from. Still, I just didn’t think I was a Mom.

After a while, I came to realize that it isn’t biology that makes a mom. It’s the sleepless nights, the frustrating nights of homework, supper, bath, ‘I don’t want to go to bed’ and ‘Why are you treating me like a baby’ that you get through with laughter, love and appreciation for the individuals in your life who bring you so much joy. Motherhood is all about sometimes NOT being given a pat on the back for what you do. It’s about not knowing the right thing to say but going ahead with the best tools you have to offer your child. Motherhood is exhausting, anxiety ridden, exhilarating and more rewarding than I ever thought anything could be. My kids are young adults now, but they’ll always be my babies.