This post is brought to you by Hallmark. All opinions are my own.
This Mother’s Day, Hallmark has issued a challenge that I absolutely love. They’re daring all of us to put our hearts to paper and really tell our moms what they mean to us. I’m not talking the simple “I love you” that we all put at the end of the card before signing our names. I mean really digging deep and saying WHY you love mom. I’m definitely up for that challenge, as I have a pretty awesome mom!
5 Reasons I’m Thankful to My Mom
Obviously, I’m thankful that my mom made sure I was fed and clothed growing up. That I had a roof over my head, a good education, etc. The basics. I mean, we’re all thankful for those things, right? But they’re not what really makes my mom different. When asked to put my heart to paper, these are the things I’d thank my mom for:
- Giving birth to me. Yes, it sounds like it belongs up there in the basics, but it doesn’t. My mom was only 18 when she got pregnant with me. She could have chosen a different path for herself. She didn’t. I know it had to be difficult, raising a child while still growing up yourself. I was almost 30 when I had my son and it was still tough!
- Letting me be an individual. I was (still am!) a punk rock girl all through my teen years. I shaved the back of my head, dyed my hair, hung out with guys who wore spiked combat boots and listened to loud music. My mom never judged. She did make me dye it a different color when the Lush orange faded and looked horrible for family pictures, but she let me go with a lovely shade of burgundy. By letting me be who I was, I learned to respect others’ choices in life.
- Letting me make my own mistakes. My mom TRIED really hard to steer me away from a few bad choices, but in the end realized that I had to make – and learn from – my own mistakes. As it turns out, those mistakes were entirely necessary to make me who I am today. They were also necessary to produce my son! So thanks for letting me live and learn!
- Always coming to get me. When my mistakes ended up in disaster, my mom didn’t say “I told you so,” she just came, packed me up and brought me home. She drove to Maryland to get me from a nightmare situation. She drove to Maine to get me again. When I moved to Japan, though, she drew the line. Fortunately, Japan worked out fine. I moved back home after two years, though and never left. Although now, my mom lives with me. Which leads me to my next point.
- Helping me raise my son. I never planned to be a single mom. Life happens, though, and here I am. My mom lives with me and is a huge help with Jacob, just like my grandparents were with me. Without her help, I don’t think I’d have any of the opportunities I have. I wouldn’t be able to do anything for my site that actually requires me leaving the house! Money was so tight for years that I never would have been able to afford a babysitter. I’m thankful that Jacob has the chance to have a close relationship with his grandmother, the same way I had with mine. My grandmother was one of the most important people in the world to me.
My mom is pretty amazing. I admire her a lot. Not just because she raised two kids who turned out pretty well (my brother is a lawyer and I’ve managed to become pretty successful in my own ways), but also because, at 50-something (after the company she worked for closed down), she’s launched her own business from scratch. She works with independent authors, doing everything from designing their covers to formatting books and setting up their promotion. She’s one of the smartest people I know, which is probably where my brother gets it from. I’m lucky to have her.
This Mother’s Day, put your heart to paper and tell your mom (or grandmother, aunt, or any other special woman in your life) how much she means to you. Take the time to go beyond the simple “I Love you” and really let your words pour out. Hallmark has the beautiful cards and inspiration to help you get started, but the meaning will come from your heart.
What makes your mom special? How would you put your heart to paper?
What a great list! I agree with all of them. I think the hardest one as a Mom for me is letting my kids make mistakes. Especially if they might be painful mistakes. 🙁 But it’s so important to remember we’re raising adults not kids! 🙂 I want my kids to be amazing and caring adults someday.
I hope your mom get to read this post.
I too would thank my mother for number one. She definitely was young when she had me and could have chosen a different path, especially how she grew up in the islands.
But she loved me.
Thanks for sharing your list.
I’m home visiting my Mother and will be hiding a few little Mother’s Day presents for her when I’m on my way back flying across the country. I love my Momma and can’t wait to hear her reaction on the phone when she finds a few goodies for herself 🙂 I would’ve extended my vacation to visit, but real life calls, sometimes! Can’t have it all I spose.
Your mom sounds like a pretty awesome lady. Anyone who can step back enough to let her child be an individual while providing guidance and support is pretty darn outstanding. Happy Mother’s Day to you both!
I am so touched byt the things you said about your mom. What a great idea to put your heart on paper. I have been wondering what I should do for my mom and mother in law and I think that this will be the perfect gift for them both.
What a great list and a great way to show gratitude to your mom. My mom did all of these things on the list as well. No matter how much I would not want to believe it, my mom was and still is always right. lol I know she’ll give me some great advice and tips when I eventually have children of my own.
It sounds like you had a really remarkable mom. I love that she let you fail and learn from your own mistakes. That’s a talent that I’m struggling with doing with my own kids!!
I love how you honored your mom in this post. That picture is so precious too. I’m glad that Hallmark issued this challenge. You answered it very well. I need to do this for my own mom now.
Moms really are amazing. I have to agree that the “coming to get me” one applies so much to me. I knew that whatever trouble I had gotten into, my mom would come and get me. She’s just amazing.
What a heart felt post today! What a great idea and need to appreciate people while they are still alive!
My mother was only 15 when she got pregnant with me, unfortunately we went our separate ways for a few years. I was also the punk rock goth girl. But I did not have the freedom you had. I hid a lot of my outfits and music in fear it would be burned. This is a lovely post. It is nice that you had your mother. I wished I had mine with me during those critical teenage years.
I am so sorry that you didn’t have a close relationship (or any relationship) with your mom. 🙁 That had to be really hard.
My mom is special because of her selflessness. She is loving and caring more than anyone that I know. I like to write, and would love to write something for her, but for everything she’s done me and my sister, I really just try to show her my love through my actions.
This year Mother’s day will hold a different meaning for my mom as this will be the first year that my dad won’t be here to help us celebrate. Losing her life mate of 55 years with dignity and grace is amazing.
I really loved reading this. I think we can get so caught up in the basic thank you and not really reflect on all the ways our mothers are there for us so this really reminded me to think about those things. I too was raised by a single mother so I’ve seen the struggle first hand but when I look back I realize that she made it look SO easy. Moms are special in that way. They are the true super hero’s.