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Mother's Day Reflections... Stop and thank all the women in your life
BY NANCY COOEY Splash! Magazine
Come May 14, there's going to be all lot of talk over how great mom is. And why shouldn't there be? She not only birthed you but she was probably also subjected to cutting all the crust off your sandwiches, finding the perfect skateboard that you couldn't live without, and transforming you in some way or another into the person you are today.
However, she most likely wasn't the only person to drive you to soccer practice every afternoon. No doubt there were other women, who whether or not they were even related to you, helped to support your growth as an individual.
Most of these stand-in moms come in the form of friends' mothers; I know my best friends have the coolest moms. They are hip, fun, slightly crazy and yet my friends are sometimes blind to see this and only see their mother as another reason to rebel. Of course when my friends come over to my house, I admit, despite however much they seem to think my mom is awesome, I just want to launch her to another planet. And yet, a part of me knows she is an amazing person that I can only hope to be one day and this probably stands true for my friends concerning their own mothers.
Perhaps the reason why we overlook our own mother's attributes is because we are with her all the time and we can see our own idiosyncrasies that she blessed us with; fortunately, that is the beauty of being raised by a village.
We are exposed to all these diverse mother figures who give us different traits and teach us the things our own mother can't. I'm sure right now you can imagine at least one woman who contributed to some part of your character, whether it was your grandmother who taught you the importance of talking to plants or how to marathon shop properly, a teacher who helped you to see the world from a different perspective, or a friend's mom who helped you through difficult times-keeping your secrets and lovingly handing you tissues. Maybe your mom was able to do all these things but
honestly, though she often seems like superwoman, she is just one person and she can't do it alone. That's why we have backup moms and that's why it s so important to extend Mother's Day to also celebrate the other women who helped to raise us. Keep these women in mind May 14,
or send them a warm note expressing your appreciation, but be sure to remember that they were the village who supported your mother and helped her do the most important job in her life.
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