Mothers Day Woes

I have no cute pictures to post. No sweet gifts or stories of being celebrated on this day. I am the piranha of society, really all the time - but especially on this day. I have no children. I know I am not the only one. I know my story is nothing new, but the pain is still real and the sting still harsh.

It is sad to me how many people are sad on a day that is intended to celebrate such a wonderful thing. Motherhood is beautiful and deserves being recognized. I love my Mom and I enjoy showing my love for her. I also know many who feel deep sadness on this holiday not because they are not a mother but instead because they are missing their mother. Some who have horrible relationships with their mothers, or some who never had the chance to know them. There are many ways to feel loss on this day.

I have blogged before about "moments" and how they can be dangerous to true happiness, and I think Mothers Day is one of these moments. Though it is a beautiful idea and I am not suggesting it does not have a place, I think it creates this ideal of family and of what we "should"all be. We need to be daughters with healthy friendship type relationships with our mothers. I am lucky enough to have that half of the equation - though as I watch my Mom battle with cancer I fear for that relationship. We also are supposed to be mothers. At my age that is what is expected. We should have beautiful healthy children that we can dress up and take to church and post lovely pictures of. 

Only some of us aren't. Mothers I mean. And there are so many, many, many possible reasons why.  And some of us don't have great relationships with our parents. Or maybe we don't have perfect kids. And moments like Mothers Day...they just seem to shine bright shiny neon lights on those...short-comings. Truthfully, that is probably not true. Probably there is no one who cares how empty I feel on Mothers Day except me, but...well that is enough. 

I love my Mom. I love my grandmothers and aunts. I adore watching my friends be mothers and I sincerely celebrate each and every one of those amazing relationships. I hate Mothers Day though. I know that makes me kind of selfish and kind of bitter, but I don't think I am alone. I wish we didn't push ideals of how we "should" look on one another. I wish we could celebrate who we all are, all the time instead.