The card

My mom knows how to read minds. I needed some sign of encouragement this week, and it came in the Mother’s Day card pictured above.

I think I’ve said this before, but the past few weeks have been rough. There were days where everything ran smoothly. There were days when the kids seemed to fight every five minutes. And there were days where there was one one adult adulting. I also had some days where I was “legitimately” sick, as my husband calls it.

But then there were moments, when the neighbor talked with me for a while about how great my kids are. The times when the kids got along (mostly because they were plotting against me and their chores). The moment, my youngest Mountain Kid climbed into my lap and snuggled as we watched the river.

This video from Kid President is a special shout out to moms. I’m sharing it mostly because of the part where he talks about mothers not comparing themselves to others and building each other up. We could use more of that in the world, builder, not destroyers. Brad and Robbie are awesome and have more great videos that encourage people to be kind and happy.

I think the biggest takeaway from these past few weeks for me is that I have what I need to be a good mom. If someone disagrees with what I’m doing but doesn’t know or understand the why behind my actions, it’s their loss. I shouldn’t worry about it, but of course, I do anyway.

The comparisons, even those that may exist between parents in the same household, have to stop. We’re raising the people who will lead our country in the future. As long as they become decent, caring adults, it shouldn’t matter  if I let my kids run 5k races or let them play barefoot in our back yard.

As a reward for a hard week of track practice and work, we all went to the Asian restaurant down the street from our house. Each fortune cookie had a different phrase. I think they also sum up my thoughts for the past few weeks quite nicely. There is no shame in failure, is probably the harder one for me. In the past, I’ve quit after failing. Now that I have kids, I’m more movitated to keep trying, if anything to show them that they can do what they set their minds to do. 

I have failed as a parent, runner, employee, etc., many times over, but I still work at it. I’m still aiming for something. Just what that is, I don’t know yet. But it involves having happy and healthy kids who don’t hate me when they grow up.

The card from my mom reminds me that I have the tools I need. I just need to use them.

I hope you have a happy Mother’s  Day, even if you’re not a mother. Have fun and be happy.