Moms.

I called my own mamma in California and wished her a happy one. She reported that my brother had invited her and my father over for brunch later today. He was whipping up some kind of surprise for her/them. Then I spent the day with my mother-in-law, who is far from the traditional monster-in-law hag who ruins everything. I got super lucky in the mom department and lucked out in the mother-in-law department as well. We went to lunch first at the Green Mango, a Thai restaurant. Then we went shopping (squeal!), and then we had banana splits.

Um, pretty much an ace day in my book. The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if my own mother was here to join us.

Can anyone ever really anticipate what motherhood is all about? I have tried to imagine what I may be like as a mother, and of course I have this romantic notion that I'll strike a wonderful balance between super cool hip mom and don't-mess-with-me authority mom. A mom that every kid wants to hang out with, but also respects and looks up to. I would hope that my kid(s) sees me as someone he/she could speak to about anything, but I know that's not always the case. I also imagine creating amazing days of fun filled with crafts and adventures in the backyard. Maybe it's all a fairy tale, but what's wrong in shooting for the moon? I may land on a star.

Because it is not mine to claim yet, and I have no authority from which to speak, I'll leave you with the words of others:

"A mother has far greater influence on her children than anyone else, and she must realize that every word she speaks, every act, every response, her attitude, even her appearance and manner of dress affect the lives of her children and the whole family. It is while the child is in the home that he gains from his mother the attitudes, hopes, and beliefs that will determine the kind of life he will live and the contributions he will make to society."
                                                              ~N. Eldon Tanner

"Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood - finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without."
                                                               ~Jodi Picoult

The world is full of women blindsided by the unceasing demands of motherhood, still flabbergasted by how a job can be terrific and torturous."          
                                                               ~Anna Quindlen

So many have tried to define it, characterize it, write about it, trash it, and immortalize it. Oprah says it's the toughest job you'll ever love. A print I saw on Pinterest today: Make sure you pick up a bottle of wine for you mom today. After all, you're one of the reasons she drinks. Cute. Very cute.

Mum. Mummy. Ma. Mere. Madre. Moeder. Mutter. Mumsy. Mairig. Mare. Mam. Mommy. Mamma. Mom.
To all women who have given life or reared one.
Happy Mother's Day.