Happy Mother’s Day

May 8th, 2011

“The world can only value mothering to the extent that women everywhere stand and declare that it must be so” Oprah Winfrey

To Mother’s of the world: Happy Mother’s Day! It is such an amazing day to celebrate. It is a celebration of the most important job there is. I feel so blessed to be a mother. No matter how busy it is, how much we feel we don’t have time for us or how much craziness it may induce it is the most important and incredible thing I have ever done. A smile and a laugh from my little two year old boy brings me such great joy that all the sacrifices of parenthood seem worth it.

We have all heard the studies…parents are not as happy as those who do not have children. Married couples that have children are less happy and parents are on average more stressed out than people that don’t have children. I remember going to a leadership conference with my husband in Whistler a number of years ago and Daniel Gilbert, the author of the book Stumbling on Happiness was speaking. He had clear data to support the fact that married couples without kids were much “happier”. That night my husband said to me “you know maybe we shouldn’t have a child”. Now we could not imagine life without our little man.

Being a mom is like making a decision to have your heart go walking around outside your body for the rest of your life. I don’t think you ever stop worrying. But the unconditional love and incredible sense of accomplishment that comes from directing and supporting another human being to be the best person they can possibly be is rewarding beyond measure. A mother has accepted an honorable calling to become a spiritual teacher. To guide her child or children into adulthood with a sense of personal responsibility, a compassion for others, and an abundance of self esteem. I cannot think of a greater or more noble calling.

I used to think that career and professional achievement ranked highest on the success meter. I used to think that I could do it all and still be a great mom. I now realize that you can do it all, just not all at the same time. I have also realized that I don’t want to do it all if it means time away from my amazing little boy.

As a society we respect professional accomplishment but never acknowledge domestic accomplishment. We consider women that make a decision to be a stay at home moms “just a mom”. Whether a woman decides to work outside the home part time, full time or not at all, I think it is time we realize that being a Mom one of the world’s most important jobs. This Mother’s Day let’s honor all of the amazing women who sacrifice daily to pass their wisdom to the next generation. A mother’s love, patience and influence is the foundation on which our future stands.