For The Moms...

Mother's Day. Some sneer at the "Hallmark Holiday", and maybe there's some truth to that - do we really need a holiday to make us realize that we need to celebrate the moms in our lives? Surely every day should be Mother's Day; a celebration of the woman who gave you life (or life to your children) dedicated to reminding her how special she is and just how deeply you appreciate all that she does.

I was fortunate. My mom is a first generation American, growing up the only daughter in a newly-Americanized Italian household. Saying the woman can cook is like saying that the sun is mildly warm - there's a reason I spent the first 35 years of my life overweight. Holiday memories filled with antipasto, lasagna, Italian wedding soup, and pizzelle make up my childhood - imagine what a shock it was for me to discover that most families didn't have a 14 course Thanksgiving meal! But it wasn't just the food, it was the calm, steady hand (that often held the wooden spoon, bringer of pain when I deserved it) and the soothing voice when all was not well.

Now Mrs. G. has the coveted title of "Mom" in my life; I don't mean that she mothers me (although I certainly could use it at times), but that she's the one that responds to the frantic call of "MOOOOOOOM" (usually when I'm only five feet away, too). She's the stereotypical "do it all mom" - working 40+ hours a week, taking the kids to their various and sundry activities, and still finding time to do little things for the kids like leave them little notes in their lunch boxes. She has become the chief applier of bandaids (although I am the official remover of splinters), the finder of lost clothing articles, and the early morning "I feel sick" nurse who makes the official "NO SCHOOL" determination (I get the late-night "I was just sick" calls...)

Kids don't, as a rule, remember to say "thank you" even in regular situations when they know they should. We work with them, reminding them of the "magic words" they need to use; chiding them when they forget their manners and praising them when they do remember. Setting aside one day to specifically thank the most important woman in their lives gives them something concrete they can focus on so that they do remember to say "thanks". For the little ones, have them draw a simple card. For the older ones, have them treat mom to her favorite breakfast in bed. Dress them up. Take mom out for a special brunch/lunch/dinner (I believe I will be grilling steaks later).

And remember to say thank you. Thank you, moms, for all that you do. Thanks to all the moms on the MArooned blogroll, and to all the dads who fill that role as well - my hat's off to each and every one of you. It's a tough, gritty, snotty, dirty, smelly, often thankless job that goes mostly unappreciated - until much later in life when those kids go on to have children of their own. Only then, I think, do we really start to appreciate all that our moms did for us. It's when you hear your son torment your daughter for the 159th time that you hear your mother's exasperated voice come out of your own mouth, and you begin to realize just how much she did for you. Including not selling you to the gypsies when she could have made a few bucks...

And, most importantly, you moms put up with us dads...

That is all.