I think, as moms, we can all agree that motherhood is the most rewarding (and also the most thankless) job we will ever have. Except in May, right? There’s a glimmer of hope; that one day in May, when society is supposed to stop and remember how amazing mothers are and how grateful we should be for them.
We see our friends and acquaintances on social media portray Mother’s Day as a day full of beautiful flowers, sentimental cards, breakfast in bed served by adorable, tiny hands. We might even see some friends – and definitely social media influencers – portray the day as one filled with mani/pedis, chocolate-covered strawberries, spa dates in white robes, sparkly gifts wrapped in velvet boxes, and that forever-coveted alone time.
As happy as I am for anyone who celebrates Mother’s Day and it even slightly resembles a day full of moments like the ones I mentioned above, I take a moment to have a little pity party for myself. Mother’s Day doesn’t look like this for me – not even close. Mother’s Day is that one day where dads pick up the slack … but there’s no dad in the picture in my small family. I’m a full-time single mom of a tween – so she’ll probably sleep through breakfast, and I’ll end up making my own. Maybe I’ll get a homemade card, but there won’t be any flowers or chocolate-covered fruit bouquets or a gift card to get my nails done. And alone time? I’ve barely had that at all since 2017.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom that won’t be receiving any special deliveries for Mother’s Day – no gorgeous bouquets of flowers nor boxes of decadent, chocolate-covered treats. No smiles as you unwrap a delivered surprise because no one else is around to remind you what a great mom you are.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom that won’t be getting served breakfast in bed – you’ll still end up making breakfast for your kids and probably will have to do the dishes, too. You might be lucky to drink your coffee while it’s still hot on this sacred day, but you’re definitely not getting pancakes served on a tray with a cute, little flower in a vase.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom that hasn’t had alone time in years, and definitely won’t get any days at the spa anytime soon. Family might live far away, babysitters are way too expensive, and the dad might not be in the picture anymore … alone time, spa days, mani/pedis are all luxuries you don’t have time for or can’t afford.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom that has to work on Mother’s Day – you don’t even get to enjoy “the day” with your kids. Your job is how you support your family – so maybe it always requires you to work on Sundays or you picked up an extra shift to help make ends meet – but either way, you’re barely going to see family that day.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom of babies and young children who aren’t yet able to even voice their love and appreciation. They’re still so young that you often wonder how you’re going to be able to do this all by yourself year after year. My daughter is almost 12 and I still wonder about that.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom of a special needs kiddo – you, more than anyone, deserve to be recognized – and your Mother’s Day definitely looks different than everyone else’s because ALL of your days look different.
🌺 So, here’s to the single mom that won’t even get to spend Mother’s Day with their child(ren) due to custody agreements and a lack of kindness and empathy from the father of their child(ren). I would hope that this doesn’t happen often, but I’m afraid it might be the cruel, unfair reality for quite a few single moms out there.
🌺 So, here’s to all the single moms out there – you might not have a Mother’s Day like the romanticized ones on social media – but you still deserve to be remembered and honored. I hope you are celebrated on Mother’s Day, even if you end up having to celebrate yourself.
I just want to add that I know how lucky I truly am to be a mother, because I know how many women out there haven’t yet been able to achieve that dream. And I also want to mention that in no way do I want to shame or guilt the moms out there who do get celebrated on Mother’s Day – you obviously did a much better job of picking a significant other than I did. My goal with this blog, though, is to “hold space” for any of the single moms out there – I’m in the trenches fighting alongside you!
