A MOTHER’S DAY THANK-YOU

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d take a moment to recognize the working moms out there, including mine.

Working moms have their job cut out for them. They juggle jobs, kids, cleaning, cooking, washing, folding, and the list goes on. On top of all this, they likely battle with the Big “G” – Guilt.

As a former child of a working mom, I’d like to take this time to say GUILT BE GONE! My mother was, more or less, a single parent. Even with a busy and successful career, she still managed to get my 2 sisters and me fed, dressed, packed for school, and in the car before 7AM every morning. She made it to every softball game, basketball game, volleyball game, and tennis tournament any of us ever had. While she may not have played a round of hoops with us or fielded any balls, she was always present at our events to cheer us on and give support.

She also made a point to take us on a yearly vacation, regardless of how tough the times were. She scrimped and saved and showed us the value of togetherness. Even in our teens, when the phrase “family bonding” made us gag, we took those family vacations. Thank you, mom. Years later, I can appreciate the 7 course meal in China Town that dragged on for hours (I finally fell asleep with my head on the table). Years later, my sister can say she visited the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz (even though she was 17 and wanted to be back home with her boyfriend). Years later, we all have these wonderful memories we can treasure for life.

I was blessed with a working mom. She made me into the strong, assertive, determined, loving, family person I am today. And though I can’t erase the guilt she may have felt years ago, I can say “Thank You”. Thank you for the sacrifices you made, the love you shared, the expectations you set, and the praise you gave when those expectations were surpassed.

For all you working moms out there, GUILT BE GONE! Eventually, your children will be able to fully appreciate your first-class juggling act. So…Happy Mother’s Day and Thank You.