To The Under-Appreciated Mom: Happy Mother’s Day

Photo Credit: Mercy BC. Therapy & Support for Single Moms.

Maybe you’re a single mom. Maybe you’re secretly pregnant. Maybe you’re married to a man who just isn’t into sentimental things like Mother’s Day. Or… Maybe you just need to hear this from another person: You are a wonderful mom.

Today isn’t really any different from other days. You don’t go to some fancy brunch in a cute dress. You don’t get a mushy card telling you how great of a mom you are. Perhaps, you were up all night with your baby. Someone who can’t tell you, “Thanks Mom, you’re the greatest.” Now, here you are doing another load of laundry. It doesn’t matter that it’s Mother’s Day. Stuff needs to get done and you’re the one to do it. Or maybe you’re battling morning sickness. No one knows how exhausted you are or why. Yet, you continue to do what you can to stay healthy for the little one growing inside of you.

I want to tell you how beautiful you are. You keep pushing through Motherhood because you must. You don’t look back. You don’t need flowers or cards to tell you how amazing you are. I’m sure you would love them but you aren’t fueled by them. You are fueled by your love for your child. You are fueled by your desire to look back at these years with pride. You will be a good mom, regardless of who knows it.

I want you to know that even if you were married to the perfect husband or had the most appreciative kids, you would still feel somewhat alone. No one will ever know the depths of your sacrificial love but you. It’s impossible. We can’t expect that. We can wish for it, I suppose. I know I do at times. Yet, isn’t there something so powerfully beautiful about our secret? That we love so deeply, so extensively, so unconditionally that it cannot really be understood by anyone but us?

Well, under-appreciated mom and all moms out there, I know your secret. I know your love, I know your sacrifice. You are not alone. There those of us who are lucky to have appreciative husbands but there are many who do not. Hug another mom today. Thank her for her sacrifice. Maybe even invite her to brunch. Let her know that her dedication is seen. Let her be acknowledged. She may not need the acknowledgement, but I’m sure it will be appreciated. It says, “I see your heart. I see your beauty. Thank you for your perseverance. Don’t give-up.” Happy Mother’s Day.

**Reflecting on this post 3 months later… So far, this is the 10th most popular post I have written. I wrote this post at the crack of dawn on my first Mother’s Day. When I woke-up that morning, I had such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my son and my husband. I eagerly greeted the day because I was so thankful for it (and I’m NOT a morning person). I decided I would start the day with a Bible reading. However, as I lazily poured myself some tea and snuggled into our sofa, I felt a deep sense of sadness. I was imagining the mother who couldn’t feel the same joy that I was feeling. I don’t know why this came over me… my only guess is that it was from God. I think He wanted me to feel this sadness for “under-appreciated moms” so that they could know that they are seen by Him and loved by Him. That’s why I wrote this post. You are seen and you are loved. **

If you liked this post, you may also like:

–The Loneliness of Motherhood

– Making Peace With Birth

– Things I Never Thought I’d Say…and Then I Became a Mom