Child-Free Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day, but we’ll be celebrating my son’s birthday. That’s okay with me. We celebrated Mother’s Day last night with a nice dinner at Red Lobster – and left the kids with a good, responsible mom friend. One of our invited guests questioned the “no kids” clause on the invite: why no kids? It’s Mother’s Day.

Wouldn’t you want to spend Mother’s Day with your kids? Well, I have so many answers for that. First, it’s the way I was raised. It was a Follower tradition for parents to have a child-free day on Mother’s Day. Teenage girls were asked to babysit so couples enjoy the day with other couples – or alone. It was always a privilege to be asked to watch someone’s children on Mother’s Day.

It’s nice for us moms who spend the rest of the year catering to the needs of our children and families to have a nice dinner that we didn’t have to prepare. It’s nice to not worry about cutting up food for little people, wiping their faces, dealing with picky eaters, or being outnumbered. It’s a treat to have a grown up conversation.

Do I want to spend Mother’s Day with my children? Of course I do! I became a mom the week of Mother’s Day and this day will pretty much always belong to my firstborn. And there’s nothing I love more than to see my children filled with excitement and joy.

To all the mothers, mothers-to-be, empty-nesters, and especially moms who have lost children: may your day be filled with peace, joy, and blessings. And, a special shout-out to the person who has loved me and cared for me more than any other mortal person: happy mother's day Mom!