Mothers' Day

I've decided that there are two different groups of moms in the world.  Those who LOVE Mothers Day and those who HATE Mothers Day.  Very few sit on the fence on this one.  I personally LOVE it!  However, my mom HATED it!  She always said that it made her feel guilty for all the things that she didn't do and all the things that she wasn't.  It drove her crazy to have people talk about their perfect moms when she knew that she would never measure up. 

I, on the other hand, while also being VERY aware of my shortcomings, I love presents!  Any excuse to shower me with presents becomes a reason for great celebration!  The first year that we were married, we were not yet parents or even trying to be parents.  My hubby, a couple of days before Mothers Day, asked me if I wanted a present for Mothers Day.  I informed him, very pointedly, that if there is EVER a reason to give me a present, he should just do it! And being the wonderfully obedient husband that he is, he has never forgotten to get me a present.  :) 

Growing up, I remember asking my mom what she wanted for Mothers Day.  Every year, we got the same answer.  She just wanted us 5 kids to be obedient and get along.  What a lame present!  I caught myself saying those exact words to my kids this past week when they asked, "Hey Mom, what do you want for Mothers Day?"

I know I am not a perfect mom.  I yell at my kids.  I'm not patient.  I don't get up every morning and make the older ones a hot breakfast, heck, most days, I barely mumble love you and have a good day from my bed when they tell me they are leaving at 7 am.  I really don't like cleaning my house (it is never spotless).  My garden struggles and I usually end up buying green beans and tomatoes at the case lot sale while my neighbors bottle their own.  At 8 pm, I am done being the mom for the day and I retreat to my room, turn on my favorite police type shows and am out of commission unless there is a drastic emergency.  I don't read to them for hours a day and I never read to them in utero.  They think that classical music is Waylon Jennings and Keith Whitley and The Beach Boys.  Very rarely do the scents of homemade cookies or bread meet them at the door when they come home from school.  And I usually don't get down on the floor to play cars or Barbies.

But..... I love them.  And they know it.  Today, D came home from church with a paper flower. On each petal there was a sentence describing their mom that they were supposed to finish.  Here are his answers:
 
1 - My mom makes the best: FOOD
2 - My favorite thing to do with my mom is: TALKING
3 - My mom is good at: LOVING
4 - My mom is as beautiful as: A RAINBOW
5 - My mom teaches me: THE GOSPEL
6 - My mom loves me because: I LOVE HER
7 - I love my mom because: SHE UNDERSTANDS ME

And when it all boils down to it - As long as my kids can say these things about me, I'm okay with that.