Meredith Marine, a mom of two and one more on the way!
Every year, my husband asks what I want for Mother’s Day, and then fails to believe me when I tell him the truth: Not much.
I don’t need jewelry or gadgets. Sure, brunch and a card are lovely; and who doesn’t love a spa treatment or two? But what I really want….. and what most moms probably want too, but never think to ask for, is a simple “thank you.”
I want a little recognition, just a little, for the things I do and the thought I put into doing them. Because in this day and age, even the simplest choices are anything but simple.
I honestly believe that we face challenges the previous generations did not. For the most part, our mothers and grandmothers did what doctors and teachers told them– and that was that. We, on the other hand, question everything. I blame the Internet…okay, not really. Well, sort of.
We are faced with so much information, so many decisions, and so much criticism if we make the “wrong” choice. Structure vs. leisure? How much screen time? Public or private school? Which laundry detergent? Which water bottle? Lunch box? What food must be organic, and what can we slide on? Which fruits absorb the most toxins? Which shampoos, soaps, medicines?
Keeping up with the evolution of all this information is overwhelming! Eight years ago, everyone swore homeopathic teething tablets were far healthier than Tylenol; today they are being recalled. And I’ll never forget my anger and frustration upon discovering that Sigg continued to use BPA in their supposedly clean bottle linings.
What’s a mom to do? Is it better to have all that information to sort through? Probably. But I find the seemingly small decisions, and the weight of responsibility that comes with them, to be one of the hardest parts of parenting.
Most of the time, it would never occur to me to ask for a thank you. It’s just part of being a mom. It’s just–what we do! But once a year, I’ll take an acknowledgment of the effort, successful or not, over a new pair of earrings.
Written by Meredith Marine, a guest contributor to Love Life with EO.
