08 May The Truth of Mother’s Day: What’s Your Experience?

Corey has the best Mom ever. “She makes yummy snacks for me and my friends, takes me down to the skate park, and makes sure I don’t see scary movies. She bugs me about my homework, but that’s ok. She’s supposed to.”

“I can’t believe it’s another Mother’s Day,” Marge sighs. “It never gets easier.” Marge wanted kids all her life, but years ago found out that she and her husband couldn’t have children. Some years they go on exotic vacations, other times they visit family, one year they even remodeled the house. “It just doesn’t matter; the hole in my heart never goes away.”

I gently reminded Bret that Mother’s Day was on the horizon, while he let loose a string of expletives. “That woman doesn’t deserve to be a mother. She was so selfish. As a kid she didn’t even know what I was doing. Even now I have to call her. She never picks up the phone to check on me. What kind of mother is that?”

“All I want is to spend time with my Mom,” said Star. “What would you like to do?” I asked. “Oh I love shopping, movies, grabbing a bite to eat. But really, it doesn’t matter. I just wish I could be around her and talk, you know? I have stuff I want to talk about, but she’s always so busy.”

“I hate being a mother. I hate what pregnancy did to my body; I hate having someone need me all the time. I hate how I’m supposed to be all happy and smiling, but really I just want to run away.” Polly stared at me defiantly as her baby slept in the corner of the office.

“What are you doing for Mother’s Day?” I ask Babette. “I don’t even know. All I ever wanted to be was a mother, but my life is a mess. My kids don’t want to be around me and my husband’s always out with his buddies. I guess I’ll just do laundry and catch up around the house.”

People’s experiences of motherhood are as wide and varied as people themselves. Wouldn’t it be nice to start having honest conversations instead of assuming everyone else has the “bouquet of flowers, delicious brunch, well-written cards, beautiful gifts, picture-perfect day?” Take time this Mother’s Day to talk to the people in your life. What do they like and don’t like about the day? What’s the truth of their relationship with their own mother?