This Year, Mother’s Day Is Less About Me And More About You

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Don’t get me anything. Don’t do anything special. Don’t think of honoring me on this day. Because this year, mother’s day will be less about me, and more about you.

I’ve heard this question one too many times, why is mother’s day a much bigger deal than father’s day? True, sorry dads. And I think every mother has an easy answer — or answers? — to that question. Simple. Mothers do more.

I am sure you agree. Let’s face it, I carried you for nine months. I had to rearrange my life to accommodate your coming. My career had to take the back seat for me to take on a much bigger role: doing everything for you 24/7. And no matter how old you get, I’d still be the mother who would do anything for you, whether you need me to or not. You know that.

But the truth is, and I’ve realized this early on, that you deserve the credit more. You, who changed my life by simply coming into it. You, who made me turn from a girl to a woman overnight. You, who taught, and continue to teach me how to love. Every day.

The dishes I wash, the clothes I fold, the food I cook, the parent meetings I go to, the nights I don’t sleep when you’re sick, they cannot compare to the things you bring to every breathing moment of my life.

I can serve you all my life and that would still not be enough to give back what you have given me. I cannot thank you enough for turning me into someone I never thought I could be. For inspiring me to continue to be better. For you.

Thank you for the times you held my hand, letting me know you trust me. Thank you for the times you ran to me crying, letting me know you need me. Thank you for the times you took my hand, letting me know I don’t need to be scared. Thank you for the times you allowed me to cry on your shoulder, letting me know you will always be there.

I was never really able to gauge the durability of my heart and the depth of my love until I became a mother. Not everyone gets that privilege. Not everyone gets the chance to experience that unconditional love a mother has for her child. And for that, I am dimming my mother’s day spotlight and illuminating yours. Because I would never have had the opportunity to be honored every second Sunday of May if it weren’t for you.

So today, my child, tell me, what can I do for you?