Mother’s Day Guilt

With Mother’s Day happening this week, we normally celebrate our mothers. But today, I am thinking about myself, selfishly. I am thinking about my mistakes.

Growing Up

I remember growing up in a house of 6 where mom took care of almost everything. Working as a nurse all morning, cooking every night, and finishing loads of laundry before hitting the bed. As time passed and we grew up, the kids of the house could have helped our mom more. We should have helped more. But she wanted us to focus on our schoolwork and practice our instruments. For me, it was the drums and piano. For my brother, saxophone. And my little sister, clarinet.

Thankless Job

Motherhood, too often, is a thankless job that doesn’t pay well. My mom was so disciplined and committed to caring for us that we took it for granted. She was our alarm clock. She had a healthy meal on the table every night like clockwork. She would do anything for the family.

Guilt

I feel guilty when I think about this past. Guilt is almost always useless. Feeling guilty never helps anyone. But in this case, I will use my guilt as motivation to make up for forgotten “thank yous” and lost “I love yous”. Thinking about all mothers of the past, the mothers now, and the mothers of tomorrow. How many of them feel underappreciated or forgotten?