Mothers’ Day is this weekend, which is a wonderful holiday, so long as we don’t let the mommyguilt thing get us down. I think you know what I mean… did I do enough as a parent/spouse/child? Could I have done more? Am I doing enough now? What mistakes might I be making that I won’t even know how to fix? Actually, this can become an issue as a friend, an advisor, etc. etc.
The stress of helping someone stay safe and happy and appreciated can really get in the way, yeah? As a perspective, I’m trying to remember the phrasing on something I read some time back. It was about the goal of parenting, the ultimate end result, which was something like this: The whole point of parenting is to raise somebody who won’t need you anymore when they become an adult, but will (hopefully) enjoy having you around all the same.
That’s pretty simplistic, but I also think it’s a great way of putting it on a very basic level. This means a lot of mistakes are going to be made on all sides, but so long as no real harm is done and everybody comes out the better for it, it’s all good. Perfection isn’t the goal in relationships, but wholeness. So this weekend, I’m hoping we can all take a bit of time to relax, forgive all mistakes, and feel a little more whole.
Mother’s Day is a really nice celebration of motherhood…if one still has a mother in this realm. Since my mother died 17 years ago, it holds no meaning for me. This is not to say I don’t think of my mother, but I don’t need a specific day to do it on.
LikeLike
I actually think that’s the best way — not needing a specific day. It’s the “daily day to day” bit that makes up our lives, and celebrating the people who’ve helped you shape that life is a wonderful habit to be in. Hm. One I could do better with…
LikeLike