Can I tell you something super random? I have always told my children that if they ever get lost—at the grocery store, or an airport, or Disney World—they need to look around and find a mother. The one with a few kids tugging at her shirt. The one pushing a stroller. The one juggling sixteen things at once? Yes, her.
Ask HER for help.
Moms know what to do
Seems counterintuitive when I say it out loud. I mean: Like hey kids, go find the person who has their hands MOST full and ask them to stop everything and save you? But that’s exactly what I say. And I stand by this, 100%.
Because there’s something about a mother that you can trust. You can count on the fact that she has a bone-deep instinct to take care of other people, and 99% of the time, she will honor it. Can we acknowledge how beautiful that is? When we become mothers, there’s this moment in time when we realize our life isn’t ours anymore. Our focus shifts from ourselves to our children: their safety, their dreams, their lives. Whatever we had planned for our lives, whatever we hoped for ourselves—those things remain, of course. But they get prioritized differently.
Some changes are small:
“I’d rather lose sleep and rock the baby than let him cry all night.”
“Of course you can eat the meal I ordered, I’ll just sit here and pretend I’m not hungry.”
But it’s not always small, is it?
“This career was important, but I want more time with my babies. I guess if I have to choose…”
“Well, retirement sounded nice, but college isn’t cheap. Whatever gives my kids a better future…
Mothers are that expensive glue that holds everything together, but remains invisible when it dries. They do the heavy lifting that their families don’t see—and they don’t mind doing it at all. But wouldn’t it be nice to not feel invisible? To occasionally just feel…seen?
I see you, Mama
Mama, I see you. I want you to know that. I really, really see you.
I know that you have accepted your fate as the forever sleep-deprived support person. That you happily set aside YOUR wants and YOUR dreams so your family could freely chase theirs. I see you, and I’m grateful for who you are. I’m proud of the sacrifices you’ve made. I don’t even have to know your personal story to know how amazing you are—because there’s something that I know about you, mama.
I know that, God forbid, if my children ever get lost, I can trust you to keep them safe. To take care of your babies and also mine, because that’s what mothers do. They take care of others. Every day, all the time, without ceasing. And I realize that special glue isn’t magic. It’s just made of incredible stuff. You hear me? YOU are made up of incredible stuff.
And something else? You are NOT invisible.
I see you. I love you. I’m grateful for you.
Thank you for being a mom.
Reprinted with permission from Mary Katherine Backstrom. Follow her on Facebook for more inspiration and encouragement.
