First Posted: 5/7/2011
It’s Mother’s Day weekend, meaning we all think of the wondrous things our mothers do.Images of fresh cookies, Band-Aids on knees and keeping our homes clean come to mind for most of us.I’d like to add another: Mom waving goodbye to the kids as she heads to work.There’s an unspoken stigma about Mother’s Day: It celebrates the domestic things a mother does for her family. With 70.8 percent of mothers with children under 18 years old working in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that’s hardly a fair measure. These mothers spend their days laboring hard for the economy, then they come home and work just as hard for their families.In the process, they provide a wonderful example for their children. It’s OK to have a passion outside your family. It’s OK to chase your dreams. It’s OK to succeed. You just have to balance it all.Their children learn from this wonderful example, and they appreciate these exceptional efforts.My mother didn’t work outside the home for much of my upbringing. To be honest, we took her for granted. We assumed any time the school needed someone, she’d find a way to be there. She volunteered her time, baked when needed and all that June Cleaver kind of stuff.I appreciate those things now, and I marvel at how she did it while raising seven children. But the modern mom’s life isn’t so easy either.I see the other side of it now, as my wife certainly works harder than I do. Still, when her children need her time or her efforts, she finds a way to make it happen. If there’s a doctor’s appointment to attend, she makes the time. She’ll take the time off work to attend field trips. These are real sacrifices. Ask anyone with a full-time job about the stresses that come with missing a day of work. For many people, it means having to do just as much work in the remaining time, making for a few longer days to make it all happen.It takes an emotional toll too. These mothers wonder if they’re in the right place at any point of time, pulled in multiple directions.Work needs you. Jobs want all of your time, efforts and emotion. You have to be totally dedicated to your work to succeed.The children need you. Each child wants your undivided attention, whether you’re in the line of sight or not. You have to be totally dedicated to your children because you love them.Your spouse needs you. After all, you chose each other because of your compatibility and affection for one another. You have to be totally dedicated to your marriage, till death do you part.As a dutiful mother, many women give each of these groups the time and effort they seek.The one person shortchanged in this scenario is the mother. She doesn’t get time to pursue her own interests. She often doesn’t get time for a good night’s rest. She’s not going to complain about it, either.This is what I’ll celebrate with my children this Sunday. We’ll lavish her with love and affection because that’s what she does for us every day.It’s not about baking cookies. It’s not about putting Band-Aids on boo-boos. It’s not about keeping the home spotless. Mother’s Day is about the people who do this not just because they’re expected to but because they love us enough to do it. You can comment on this column at www.LimaOhio.com.
David Trinko: Give from the heart this Christmas
