A Mother By Any Other Name...

Flowers from our garden
Photo by LeeAnn Rhoden

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I have celebrated four Mother's Days and they have all been fantastic. Husband works hard to make it so. I can see the struggle effort he puts into it to make my day special. Usually, he takes over the cooking responsibilities and handles any need Little Man decides he has. That's really gift enough but there is also a gift of some kind too. He can't go wrong, I tell him what I want. This year my day started with fresh flowers from our gardens and my favorite breakfast. For my gift, we started the deck "renovation." Our deck is in great shape except that it needs a good pressure washing and next year we will need to paint it. The BIGGEST problem with the deck is that it faces west and in Georgia that means you cannot use your deck from noon April 25th until 6:30 PM October 25th without suffering from heat stroke. The first part of the deck renovation is not just to make it aesthetically pleasing but to make it useable.  So, we invested in a GINORMOUS umbrella to shield us from the life sucking radiation sun. Now, we can actually sit on the deck and enjoy our back yard. Or, at least, plan what needs to be done back there to make it enjoyable. All part of the fixer-uppering. As much as I will enjoy the umbrella, my favorite gift by far has been  my first Mother's Day gift. It is a Mother's ring.

 

Ginormous umbrella
Photo by LeeAnn Rhoden

My ring. Don't touch it.
Photo by LeeAnn Rhoden

It has my birth stone, Husband's birth stone and Little Man's birth stone. I wear it everyday. It's precious and means more to me than anything else.

And we should celebrate mothers. A mother has a tremendous job and responsibility yet she takes it on voluntarily and with love. Okay, okay, there are times when she wants to lock herself in the bathroom, but everyone needs a five minute time out, right? There is even a YouTube video done about a mother's job. They call it "World's Toughest Job." If you haven't seen it, you should. It's funny!

I'm fortunate that right now I'm a stay-at-home-mom. We made this decision because we felt it would be in the best interest for our Little Man and we are able to make that happen. Many, many moms work outside the home whether it be by choice or circumstance. This does not diminish in anyway their role at home, nor does it diminish my role as a financial contributor. This is a personal struggle I have in that I lose sight of my worth when I'm home all day changing diapers, potty training, making six different lunches trying to get Little Man to eat something, schlepping laundry, and sweeping up Cheerios. I've worked since I was 16 years old and now .... But just in case there are cynics (like myself) about the value of stay-home-moms, or moms in general, Salary.com has a terrific article on the financial value of a mom and the $112,00 she'd earn outside the home performing her job. Forbes calculated it closer to $115,00. Perhaps we need another title for moms? Domestic Engineers? Director of Operations (as suggested by YouTube)? Family Assistant?

Tasks aside, the value of a mom is not computable. Moms provide something that cannot be replaced by a staff. Moms provide emotional comfort and healing and nurturing that is carried in the heart for a lifetime. Only moms understand the beginning babbling of the toddler. Only moms recognize the different cries a child has and can react to child's exact need.  A mom's love is priceless. So, to my mom and all moms out there, or whatever you want to call them, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!