Mother's Day - happy or not so much

I didn't like Mother's Day very much for awhile. And then I kinda' liked it and then I didn't again. Back and forth through the years. My reasons ranged from silly to downright painful and barely scratched the surface of what others have experienced. The Hallmark event causes an array of negative emotions for many women and even for some men - ranging from shame and embarrassment to a sense of betrayal, from insecurity to a sense of failure, from the disappointment of unmet expectations to deep grief and mourning of profound loss.

Anne Lamott speaks against the sense of entitlement and superiority that can develop from all of the hype in the M.D. commercials and in our churches this one day in May. I am embarrassed to admit that I have battled attitudes like arrogance and insensitivity.

Do mothers deserve to be appreciated and honored? Of course they do. Should they be supported and rewarded? Absolutely. But not just on one day. And hopefully not in ways that cause pain and grief to non-mothers and those that are less than perfect in their efforts.

I am grateful for my mom and will honor her because I choose to. I am proud of my kids and grandkids. I celebrate the new life growing within my firstborn and am thrilled to wish her a happier Mother's Day than she's yet experienced. But I also choose once again to remember those for whom this day is painful. To dear friends in that category, I send hugs. I wish I could kiss it and make it all better.