Why I Give My Kids Gifts to Celebrate Mother's Day

Another year, another Mother’s Day is rolling around. I can’t believe it - you blink, and 26 years years of devoted and endless mothering have come and gone. To say it has been the privilege of a lifetime to be a mother would be a true understatement. That's why this Mother's Day, I decided to give my children gifts to celebrate. After all, they made me a mom.

So many incredible days, milestones, moments, years. Where do all of those memories go? The early years are abundantly documented - in baby journals, photo albums and videos. Every first has been captured! Then, just like that, they grow up. The school photos and school reports stop. The kids move away. They go to college. They stretch those wings you gave them, they test those lessons you taught them, they build big, full lives...just like you always hoped they would. Suddenly, the years blur even faster.

But even still, that immense privilege and pride I feel to hold the role of 'mother' is hugely present.

Which is precisely why I give my kids gifts to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Sure, we could be cynical about Hallmark holidays, but on the other hand, why? Why when one feels so filled with pride, joy, and gratitude for having been gifted this incredible ride? Why not grab the opportunity to communicate all that it has meant and the profound gratitude for it.

I look through all the text messages I’ve received from my kids. News about jobs, handling a tricky boss with smarts, fellowships and awards. Some are about meeting tough deadlines with grit and determination. Sometimes it’s not so easy - there are more than a few with snippets of frustration and angst. In our group chats there are the memes of the year, cartoons about current events, concerns about politics, the evils of gentrification, and global warming. As I read through my kids’ texts, in between the equivalence of monosyllabic grunts (many “meh”s and ‘‘idk”s), I am made aware of my progenies' frustrations, their growth, their happiness, their plans, and their dreams.

I realize that it is our texting conversations which keep us connected, current, and close.

In particular, I love being allowed to join in on sibling chats. I relish the eye-rolling emoji’s, the banter and jokes, even the bits of snarkiness in between. It brings back to me the sweet feelings of roughhousing on the porch with my rowdy bunch. Nothing much has changed. I am smitten. I’m a mom.

So no better reason to comb through all the texts and pics, pick and choose the best, and put them into Keepster books for each of my beloved children. It truly is the perfect way to celebrate what they mean to me, and to honor the inexpressible blessings of mothering.

Happy and memorable Mother’s Day 2019!