Marveling at Moms
I’ve been thinking about how incredible mothers are. There are so many reasons, of course, but especially at holiday time—moms amaze me.
This morning, as I begin to recover from my own holiday season exhaustion, I was thinking about all different kinds of moms from every background, tradition, and belief- and how they are able to (sometimes singlehandedly) coordinate the purchase of gifts, the hiding of those gifts, the distribution of those gifts— often in the exact perfect order for maximum wow factor, and all the other elements of holiday magic that kids remember forever. The baking. The cleaning. The hosting. It’s all so much.
I’ve seen moms who do the most intense, over-the-top Santa delivery. I’ve seen moms able to provide gifts for their kids for under $100 thanks to trading, buy-nothing groups, and thrifting. I’ve seen moms ensure that every member of the family has what they need for every school party/spirit day outfit/teacher gift and is ready for action when a last minute school request trickles in with zero notice. 25 days of elf on the shelf activity—handled. Eight nights of Hanukkah? Covered.
Thoughtful. Planned. Expertly executed.
And all around the management of “normal” daily life.
You could be a privileged stay-at-home mom or a full-time working mom scraping by to make ends meet. You could be a mom who’s obsessed with her kids, or a mom who needs a goddamn break from her kids. You could be a mom living in a war zone or a mom blessed with safety. It doesn’t matter. ALL MOMS MAKE IT HAPPEN, no matter what it takes. They deliver on a special morning, a special occasion, or a special moment for their kids at their own personal expense.
Though I know many moms love the spirit of it all, I also know many sacrifice themselves on the pyre of magic. I find myself landing somewhere in between the two. Some have partners involved in the magic-making. Others are doing it solo.
I’m simply in awe of it all: a season placed squarely on the backs of women, that without their willing participation— would wither away. Holiday celebrations, memories, and traditions exist because of women and mothers. And we just do it, without question. It’s not healthy, but we do it anyway.
I usually like to offer some ideas or solutions of how we can do better and be better- but for this post, I just want to honor women and sit with the amazement of all that we’re capable of.
I celebrate you. I revere you. I am proud of you.
