I could hear my 4-year old, Ethan, his bed rattling, as he woke up. And then the exclamation, “Yeah! It’s Mother’s Day!” You would have thought it was Christmas, as excited as he was. I had snoozed the alarm and decided to skip our church service (my one indulgence of the day) but still needed to get ready to teach Sunday school for my 12-year old, Daniel’s, class. Daniel had returned late and exhausted the night before from a church retreat, so we decided to let him sleep, and Ethan and I went to church. Chris and I did, however, have to reassure Ethan that I would open my gifts when we returned home.
So I taught Daniel’s class, and Ethan and I headed to the store to pick up supplies for a school project Daniel had to complete. Who knew they sold squinkies at Michael’s? The moment Ethan spotted them, he began whining that he wanted me to buy him a package. I wasn’t about to pay $13 for a toy when we were there for one purpose – supplies for Daniel’s project. So the whining and fit-throwing went on for what seemed like hours. So much for Mother’s Day.
Once home and after opening my gifts (which was lots of fun), I decided to take a nap (ok, my second indulgence of the day). Ethan’s version of Gilda Radner’s hyper character Judy Miller kept me awake, so I gave up and folded a load of laundry. And he kept begging me to take him to the library, so I gave in. We returned home just in time to spend a nice evening with my mother who had come over for dinner.
And then, finally, when we were getting ready for bed, I asked Ethan what episode of “Chloe’s Closet” he’d like to watch. He replied, “You choose, Mommy. Because today is not about me, it’s about you!” I had to laugh. The day had not really been about me. Any Mom or Dad knows that each day with young children involves the caring for them. There will always be school projects and laundry. There really is no break from this – aside from going on a retreat or to a spa for a few days. And that’s ok. Mother’s Day is a reminder that I am blessed with loved ones who share in the everyday as well the miraculous with me. It’s not about one person, after all. It’s about family.