Mother's Day - Then and Now

Long ago, when my life was all babies and toddlers all the time, I counted the days until Mother's Day because it was the one and only day of the year that I felt justified to just leave the life of a perpetual and constant mommy behind. I'd leave early in the morning, usually with a fellow mommy or two, and not come back until bath and bedtime were long over and house was sure to be quiet and peaceful. My friends and I didn't spend a fortune at an extravagant spa or on a shop-till-you-drop day. Instead, we'd go out for breakfast, maybe shop a bit and then we'd revel in having no plans, no demands, no interruptions, no diapers, no bottles, no bickering and no deadlines. It was bliss because every day, all day for the rest of the year was otherwise spent with children who were a complete joy, but also a complete drain.


A lot of rejuvenation was to be had on Mother's Day during those years. That, in itself, was almost a pressure. Relax -- quick! This day comes but once a year!

Oh, how things change.

This year I would love nothing more than to escape with all four kids instead of from them for Mother's Day! Whereas they used to keep me busy from morning until night with their needs and demands, now their own lives keep them busy from morning to night and I'm lucky if we have a half hour a day together. When they clamored at my feet all day long and regarded my body as their jungle gym, I longed for the freedom I now have, spending long stretches of time with my own thoughts and doing my own work. And now that I have that freedom and that distance, the best way I can think of to spend Mother's Day is with the same feisty brood that I used to escape from on that day.

No one can tell you how quickly the years go. Believe me, people have tried to tell me in the past and I never listened. Since I met her, my mother-in-law has been constantly lamenting about her kids growing up (and I, for one, am glad that at least one of them did)! But listen to me, you young, exhausted mommies out there: time really DOES go by in the blink of an eye, and before you know it you'll long for those arms that wrap your neck so tightly that you feel like you can't breathe!

THAT is bliss.