If this is your first Mother’s Day, congratulations are in order! You’ve brought a beautiful new life into the world. You deserve this day, with all of its treats and fancies. I hope you enjoy it. Time flies at the speed of light and soon this day will be a distant memory in a long list of special moments. Treasure the hours.
Unfortunately, sometimes your first Mother’s Day can feel a little disappointing. You may be expecting a day of bliss, of complete peace and happiness. And I hope you get it. But life is unpredictable with a baby. If for any reason your day is more difficult than you hoped, take heart. The days will get easier. Your baby will grow and will soon shower you with the affections you deserve on Mother’s Day. Remember that the special homemade gifts will soon come – handprints in clay, drawings of you looking like a space alien, handpicked flowers and endless hugs. Those will all come sooner than you know.
If you are a single mother, you may not have anyone to tell you what a good job you’ve done so far, raising your precious bundle. That can be difficult and particularly saddening on a day such as this, so reward yourself! Take a long bubble bath when the baby falls asleep; do something that makes you happy. You deserve it.
This year, while your baby is incapable of giving back to you in traditional ways, take the time to treasure the life that you now keep safe, warm, and dry. Hold your baby, snuggle him or her, sing songs, play ridiculously long on the floor, laugh, then laugh again, and again, and revel in the beauty of the miracle before you. Yes, you may spend Mother’s Day with food in your hair, spit-up on your shirt, and enough poopy diapers to fill a small country, but by golly, it’s your Mother’s Day and this is your baby.
These moments are priceless – be present for your first Mother’s Day. Look around you at the joy that has been added to your life this year. Your world will never be the same. You deserve a pat on the pack for all you’ve accomplished; for the good days and the bad, for the smiles and the tears, and for getting through the hurdles of early parenthood. Congratulations, Mommy.