Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Mother’s Day is this Sunday. I appreciate moms everyday, but the official holiday is a great way to celebrate motherhood. It’s hard to believe I’ve been a mother for almost nine years. Being “Mom” can be very challenging at times, but I know I’m blessed to be a mother of two healthy, loving boys.

I got to spend the last two weeks with my own mother. We don’t get to be face to face very often, but when we do, I enjoy every minute we share. My mom is a saint in my eyes. She is a hard working mom who raised three girls. She would drop anything to help anyone, has an obscene amount of patience, love, support, and almost always has a smile on her face.

As a little girl, I can remember times where she was so busy with work, church, family, and life in general, but she would always stop and put her daughters first. She’d stay up until midnight grading papers or planning lessons for her class, because she preferred we had a home cooked meal and family conversation. She hauled three kids around to sporting events at different times and locations, and I barely remember  carpooling because she wanted to cheer us on. I know I’m biased, but she is a gem.

I’m certain my mother will read this blog post, so this week is a shout out to her for all the memories we’ve made, ups and downs, lessons learned, and her example of motherhood I try to mimic. Mom, you make your kids and grand-kids proud. Love you and Happy Mother’s Day!

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Like Wednesday Mom, I am musing about Mother’s Day this week. As I prepare to celebrate my first Mother’s Day as a mom, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for my own mother and the awe I have for all she did to nurture and support me throughout my childhood and beyond. After all, a mother’s love is the kind of unconditional, never-ending love that one can only truly appreciate once you become a mother yourself.

I have only been a mother for four short months. In that time, I have come to realize how much my own parenting style—as with so many other things in life—is a product of my own experience. For many young parents, the quest to determine how we will be as mothers (or fathers) and how we will determine our parenting philosophy begins with reflection on our own upbringing. What boundaries did our own parents set? What were the core values our mothers/fathers/stepparents/grandparents instilled upon us? How did they go about doing so? What chores were we responsible for as children? How much television were we allowed to watch? What other limits did our mothers and fathers put in place? How did they do so?

Now that I am a mother, I realize how much thought and deliberation can go into these decisions. And I am in awe of my own mother’s ability to make those decisions (with help from my father, of course) in what always seemed like a fairly effortless manner. I cannot say with any certainty how often my parents paused to deliberately think about the answers to each of these questions, but I know these were not choices my mother took lightly. And, more importantly, I know that her unwavering commitment to her children and her family instilled in me (and my brother) a deep appreciation of family that my husband and I fully intend to pass along to our son. And I hope that he is able to look back upon his own childhood as fondly thirty (or so) years from now when we embarks upon his own parenting journey.

Happy Mother’s Day, All!