Dear mums (and those who take on the role of mums): Happy Mother’s Day.
Today, and every day of the year, we want you to know how much we see you.
We see all the beautiful little moments between you and your child. We see the tough moments too and all the hard work you do for your family.
We see you, mama, and we wish you could see what we see because it’s beautiful.
We see all the effort you put in.
We see how you pack everything your little one needs for child care; their favourite bear and spare clothes so they can play with abandon in the sand and mud.
We see you when you wipe away a tear at drop-off time because your child doesn’t want you to leave and the guilt is weighing heavy on your heart. Rest assured we hug your child a little longer and a little tighter on those days.
We see the look of pure joy on your face when your child screams “Muuuum!” and runs into your arms at the end of the day. We know that moment makes all the challenges of parenthood worthwhile.
We see you receive every. single. piece. of artwork your child makes for you. Your fridge is covered and your cupboards are overflowing with drawings, but you’re excited because your child is excited.
We see you ask about your child’s day and soak up every detail because you don’t want to miss a moment. You even care about the caterpillar called Fred who ate a lettuce leaf from the veggie garden at lunchtime.
We know it takes a lot.
We know it can take a gargantuan effort to not lose it when your child dumps two shoes full of sand onto your carpet when they get home from child care. We see you taking deep breaths and reminding yourself all that sand means they had fun with their friends in the sandpit.
We know about the endless Mount Everest of washing that awaits you. No matter how much you fold, it seems to multiply like magic. We see you folding your 42nd pair of socks this week and we applaud you.
We know how tired you are. Oh so tired. You might only get a few hours of broken sleep every night and you’ve lost count of how many cups of coffee you have before lunchtime. We see you digging so deep every day to be the best mum you can be despite your exhaustion.
We know you have work to do, bills to pay, permission slips to sign and so much more. But we see you juggling it all and we think you’re doing an incredible job. Even though we could never replace you, we’re here to fill in those gaps. We’ve got your child while you’re away, so breathe easy, SuperMum.
We’re here for you – and you are everything.
We know that feeling that might plague you – that feeling of never being enough. But we see you and we’re here to tell you that you ARE enough.
To your child, you’re everything. Their Mummy, their superhero, the one who makes all the ouchies go away and tucks them safely into bed at night.
Mamas, we salute you. We see you and you are awesome. Thank you for everything you do.