Mother's Day Blues

Mother's Day Blues happen to everyone. Not just to the moms who are supposed to be honored for the never-ending service that they provide with immense love, sweat, and tears to their families. Not only to the families, who, try as they might, often make misguided plans to celebrate their beloved mothers. Not only to the countless women who try and are unable to have children. Not only to the multitude of women who choose, out of their own free will, not to have babies. Not only to those who mourn the passing of mothers whom they cherished and adored and miss with all of their hearts. Not to be a total bitch, but Mother's Day can kinda suck. Well, maybe not for Hallmark. They seem to be the main beneficiaries of the holiday.

I don't mean to sound crass; Mother's Day is nice in theory. It's a great gesture to want to dedicate a day for moms around the globe. To be sure, we deserve the recognition. We bust our asses 25 hours a day, every single day of the year for our families. We put our own needs and desires on hold for the loves who rely on us for so much. And, most of the time, we do it gladly, without question.

However, the day has so much riding on it. There are so many expectations for el dia de los madres. Breakfast in bed. Meals at the best restaurants. Flowers. Jewelry. Spa packages. Family gatherings. This and that. That and this. Too often, the ideas that moms have in their heads for what they think would be appropriate tokens of appreciation for the large amounts of ourselves that we bequeath to our loved ones are not exactly what the token givers have in mind.

The simple fact that Mother's Day falls on a Sunday just stinks. I mean, if you really want to do something for us and give us a day dedicated just to us, then put it in the middle of the week when nobody's gonna be home. When we don't have to diffuse situations. When we don't have to pick up after people. When the kids aren't asking us for stuff. When we don't have to be on duty.

As a woman and a mother, I know that one of the things that I would appreciate the most is to not have to mingle and get dressed up (unless I want to). To not have to sit at a table and eat food off of plates that I'll most likely have to clear and wash. To not have to do anything at all. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and family meals and family gatherings, but that's what we do every day. If I'm to be given a day solely for me... then make it different. Make it so that I don't have to feel guilty if I don't want to do anything like that. So I don't have to feel like a bad mother for wanting a break from my life.

So, here's what I propose: give working women and stay-at-home mothers a day off on a Wednesday.  Call it Woman's Day. Actually, two days off would be better. Let us sleep late, maybe in a hotel, spend a day at a spa, eat leisurely meals in restaurants... let us choose what we want to do. Let us be.

Amen.