Sunday, May 8, 2011

On Mothers

Moms are great. They come in all shapes and sizes. There are big moms, little moms, fat moms, and skinny moms. There are good moms and bad moms. There are gentle moms and mean moms. There are smart moms and dumb moms. There are pretty moms and ugly moms. But whatever they are, they are our moms and most of us are pretty happy with that.

Moms are special. It’s an odd sort of thing that no matter how a mother might treat her children, there’s always that bond. Some children wish their mothers were better people. Some children don’t get along with their mother. Some children don’t see their mother for years, but she’s still their mother. I can only thank God that I don’t have a mother like that, but even if she were, I would love her.

And then there are those mothers who came to motherhood in an odd sort of way. I suppose I have a fascination with mothers who adopt children. I wrote two books about mothers like that. (Searching for Mom and Mother Not Wanted) You kind of think that a mother who gives birth is supposed to love her children, but a mother who adopts is making a choice. But that’s not completely true. They both have made a choice and they both ought to love their children.

Today is Mother’s Day, here in the US, in Australia, in Canada, and in New Zealand. It is a day we celebrate this wonderful thing called motherhood that has been passed down from mother to daughter since the time of Eve. It’s also a good excuse to take your mother to church with you, if she lives nearby. Mine lives in another state, but I know she’ll be going to church anyway. I’ll be calling her today to make sure of it. But the rest of you should call your mother up and say, “let’s go to church.”

But you know, I can’t help but feel a sense of sadness. Some women have never had children. For some, it just hasn’t happened yet, but for others it is something that will never happen. I realize that some churches will try to celebrate all women on Mother’s Day, but I can’t help but think of how they must feel, realizing that the church is making some kind of special accommodation for them because they’ve never had children. So can I make a suggestion? Don’t make a fuss about the non-mothers. Leave them be.

As for your mom, whether she is fat or skinny, tall or short, good or bad, rich or poor, pretty or ugly, make her feel special. She’s the only mom you’ve got.