Mothers come in different shapes and sizes, ages and attributes, roles and relationships.
As we look toward Mother’s Day, may we say thank you to all the women who have helped mother children and adults throughout their lifetime…
Biological moms: Thank you to the moms who carried your baby and sacrificed so much for your child’s wellbeing. Morning sickness, exhaustion and the experience of childbirth! Then there are the late nights, and the long days of taking care of the millions of moments a newborn needs as well as the unexplainable joy of simply holding and coddling your baby.
Grandmoms: Thank you to the grandmoms who bring generational wisdom and faith to a child’s experience. For the summer vacations and garage sales and the sharing of historical information. Thank you for the legacy of love you give to children, that they carry on into their lives.
Stepmoms (Bonus Moms): Thank you to the women who marry into a family and take on the love and nurture of children that you did not create. Your kindness, patience and love are priceless gifts to kids as they grow up in a blended family. For all the times you don’t hear “thank you” I offer thanks!
Single Moms: Thank you to the moms who are working hard and sometimes carry more than your share of the load. Your children will thank you as they grow up and remember what a tenacious mother they had, how she modeled a strong work ethic and still showed up to all the school events and award shows.
Aunt Moms: We celebrate the women who have come alongside their family and invested time and nurture and love into nephews and nieces. The ongoing relationship you have with these children will live on for decades to come!
Adopted Moms: Thank you for those who have chosen to love and raise children through adoption. Your sacrifices and investments into those little lives will bring a strong reward as they grow up into loving adults who go on to become parents themselves.
Mentor Moms: For all the women who have affirmed and walked alongside younger women who you are not related to, but you see them, you listen to them, and you love them so well. Your love is the very strength that holds them together on the hard days, especially if their own mother is not available to share that type of unconditional regard and support.
Wherever you fit in the bouquet of motherhood, thank you for the way you invest in the next generation. The love you share today will deeply impact how the blossoms come later. Continue to love and look for those that need love, so that every day of the year can be a celebration of Mother’s Day!
Tammy Daughtry, MFT and Founder of CoParenting International.
