A few years back I was at a La Leche League meeting. Mother’s Day had just passed. We had a “round robin” question asking moms to share their Mother’s Day celebrations. Everyone had a nice story of some type: hubby brought flowers, they slept in late, had a peaceful bubble bath, older kids cooked breakfast in bed, toddlers and preschoolers made cards, etc. Then it was *Lucy’s turn. Lucy was a single mom of just-weaned twin girls and a baby boy with no nearby family. “Mother’s Day was just another day for me,” she said. “Since my kids are too young to understand what it means, and I don’t get any help with them I didn’t get anything.” She tried to brush it off like she was fine, but she clearly appeared a bit slighted for being left out. And she was such an awesome mom. She did so much for her kids and had even found a way to be a stay-at-home mom without a regular income. I felt bad for her.
A year later I was looking after her kids at my daycare. I made sure her kids made her cards and picked her flowers. We probably did some little craft too. (This year it was No Time For FlashCard’s popsicle stick coasters. Check out Allie’s site for some amazing craft ideas for your little ones.) I don’t know if she got anything else that year, if her family got it together to give her a call or send her a card, but I was happy to do my part. She’s moved now, doing her training to become a midwife, and she’s still a single mom. She was the one who inspired me to do my Homebirth VBAC. I don’t know if she’s out there reading this (I don’t think she is), but this is for her and for all the moms, especially the single ones, whose little ones are just too little to understand what Mother’s Day is all about and who don’t have someone to tell them how great they are.
Dear Mommy,
Thank you for being my mommy.
Thank you for giving me so much of your time when you often have none for you.
Thank you for holding me close, telling me you love me and giving me endless comfort when I need it.
I love being close to you. I love playing with you. I love it when you read to me and show me the world around us. I love it when you sing to me or play music and dance around the room with me. I love how safe I feel when I am with you.
You are as tall as the ceiling, as big as the world, as important as God. Thank you for being my mommy. You are the best mommy in the Universe to me.
Love, your little one.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. However you celebrate, I hope you have a great day.
Tags: HBAC, La Leche League, VBAC
This is so beautiful!
desiree fawn’s last blog post..we just can’t get enough of babywearing.
There should be another a special day just for single mothers. I don’t know how they do it.
Kelly’s last blog post..Mothers Day Inspirations
Thanks so much for the shout out, but thank you MORE for remembering single moms. The letter is beautiful.
Allie’s last blog post..Whoa Mama!
That is one of the sweetest posts ever. I was a single mom for 11 long years. Now my 2 oldest kids are over the age of majority, and they make up for it in spades. Daughter drove in specially from college and we had dinner last night, then brunch again today, then the beach with all the kids. A full 24+ hours of celebrating. My cup runneth over.
BTW, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your comment on a prior post on my blog. That was one of the nicest I can recall receiving since starting my blog 2 years ago. Especially at a time like this, when people are standing as adversaries, it is wonderful to hear from a lady such as yourself.
Opus #6’s last blog post..Divorce Agreement
Thank you! It is one of the worst parts about being the single mom of a little one– I sent Mother’s Day cards to a couple of online friends in the same boat, but was afraid I’d sit home all day. Instead my step-mom called and we went out to dinner with her and dad, my step-grandma and her sister and my step-sister and her kids. Grandma bought us all dinner and my Dad made sure we each got a rose. It was a lot of fun and Isaac was in full charm mode!