mother’s day 2024
Admittedly, there are few Mother’s Days that I recall having the best time. Off the top of my head here they are; enjoying brunch and a hike with a mama-friend (no children present), taking a weekend trip to Legoland with my then only-child daughter (age 4), and yesterday- where I did absolutely nothing for the first time in a long time. “Nothing” doesn’t mean absolutely nothing of course, but waking up to prepare breakfast for my 6 year old while my 14 year old sleeps in a bit was more than fine with me. Because right after I cooked that oatmeal, I laid my butt right back down in bed, while my youngest watched her favorite shows, and my 14 year old woke up slowly and in good spirits, ready to make breakfast for me! I got up, ate the yummy pancakes, eggs, and mixed fruit, then went back to bed and took a nap. The act of laying down right after a meal is so out of my character that it felt strange yet needed. I dozed back off for a mid-morning nap- heaven.
My youngest would ask me for things and my teen would intercept and either help or tell my little one to (in short) “leave mama alone”- it was a miracle! At one point I even heard my young-adult daughter tell her little sister that everyone lives here and needs to contribute to our home, and how mom does so much for us we can help her out too sometimes. My inside-face jaw dropped, but I laid quietly pretending not to hear, because clearly that was none of my business!
After hours of napping, playing Uno with the youngest, social media scrolling, and reading, I decided to take a relaxing bath and watch Netflix. I locked the door and stayed in that tub of water until my toe and finger tips were wrinkled. Then, I got hungry. Cook you say? Tuh! We’re eating out tonight! I went to one of my favorite yet rarely visited Thai restaurants (because apparently I’m the only one that enjoys Thai food so why even eat there when I have children to feed?). The children were feeling open minded to trying this food they claim to never enjoy- which still holds true, they were clearly doing me a Mother’s day favor). Then we walked for fro-yo and a cookie for me (because I am not a fan of frozen yogurt). We walked some more while munching on our deserts and ended up at a bookstore my 14 year old loves. And then we went home. Of course by then I put my mama-hat back on, gave baths, read stories, combed and twisted hair. But I felt so ready to do it because I was so rested, full of energy and mostly, I felt appreciated. I realize now in order to feel appreciated by others, I need to appreciate and prioritize myself. And that’s just what I did.
I bragged to my closest friend about all of this and had the epiphany that I should do this once a month! She told me to schedule it on my calendar- wise friend.
Happy Mother’s Day!
