mom's day.

Happy Mother's Day! I had a wonderful one. I got to sleep in this morning until about 8:30, which alone was an amazing gift. I came down the stairs only to find a large bouquet of my favs(gerbera daisies), a card from the kids, a card from Joe and a hot breakfast w/ newspaper. ahhh... As I sat down to enjoy all of the joy of this day I saw a small, black box. hmmm... I opened it to find the most lovely mother's ring. simple. just what I would have picked. Lovely.

I called my mom this morning to wish her a happy mother's day. I was sorry I couldn't be up there to tell her in person and to make her feel as pampered as I felt today. I was supposed to tell her what a wonderful mother she is to me, but before I could get the words out she was telling me what I wonderful mother I am to my kids. And how proud she was of me. And truly, that was one of the very best gifts I got today. Thank you mom. For your words and for all that you are to me.


Defining Motherhood (by Judy Winter, An author and a brave momma):

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines mothers as “a female parent,’ which vastly understates mom’s value. These remarkable women shape the youngest minds and our country’s future—no small feat.

Mom’s importance is especially evident in special needs families. While parenting a child can make any mom want to yank out the individual hairs on her head, raising children with special needs is much like running daily triathlons without prior training—and no potty breaks.

These moms boldly lace up ill-fitting parenting shoes to run the biggest race of their lives 24/7, often for life. It’s an exhausting, exhilarating role that I embraced for nearly thirteen years. At times, the demands seemed superhuman; but the rewards taught me volumes about the sacred responsibility entrusted to parents. Those rich lessons changed the direction of my life and rewrote my definition of motherhood.

Effective parenting isn’t for wimps, especially when disability’s involved. Had I blown off the demands of parenting both of my kids, we would have paid a huge price. My firstborn deserves big thanks for allowing me to practice mommyhood rituals on her. I had no idea Jenna was preparing me to better meet the uncertainty of her brother’s physical needs from cerebral palsy.

Like most moms of kiddos with extra challenges, I’ve experienced more than my share of tears, sleepless nights during unnerving hospital stays, and seemingly endless educational and medical encounters requiring pit-bull advocacy. I’m amazed my heart’s still beating after the devastating loss of my much-loved son.

One thing’s clear. Whether it’s autism, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, Down syndrome, ADHD, or a host of other developmental, behavioral or medical challenges, special needs requires that extra parenting push, often delivered by a remarkable ‘female parent.’ These moms rarely receive kudos, but they deserve all that they get and more.

To all those hardworking mamas who love kids unconditionally, my thanks. Your passionate, unselfishness commitment to your sons and daughters, even while facing the toughest parenting situations imaginable, is inspiring.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who fix icky boo boos, bravely face up chuck, make gooey mac & cheese and killer PB & J sandwiches, (and make the crust disappear), read one more bedtime story, initiate all those tough but necessary parent-child talks, and foster healthy independence in their kids (a.k.a. letting go)—while still managing to grab a shower.

But extra props to moms who boldly stare down disability each day. Because special needs parenting requires special moms— their bold parenting decisions create brighter futures for all kids.