The Mother of All Days
The invisible load of motherhood during sheltering-in-place, has taken our already full plate and stacked it like it’s Thanksgiving after 60 days of fasting. It’s no secret, parenthood isn’t about equally distributing the weight of responsibilities— right out of the gate it’s uneven; it’s more about showing up for each other when we need it. And Dads we need you to show up on Sunday.
Not with things or flowers. If this time has taught us something, it’s that we definitely aren’t missing material objects.
Not with family time, on this front, our cup runneth over. See, when our kids are around us, they will take and take and we will always be there and giving. Even when it’s begrudgingly, we love these demanding creatures with everything we have.
What we want is a day where we don’t have to give.
What we need is time alone.
Time just for ourselves; where we aren’t making food we can’t finish, answering every request that is not our own, and flip-flopping between all our roles which now include new titles like home school educator and at-home employee.
Of course, we want the children to celebrate us in their own creative ways. After all, they joyously gave us the privilege of celebrating this holiday. Of course, we will honor our own Mothers on the day, and it will look different than ever before--but we will be inventive in this world of restrictions. After that, we will gratefully hand the reigns over to you.
Maybe this sounds selfish and strays from the Hallmark image of a family picnic or breakfast all together in bed. But we passed Hallmark right around the start of “virtual learning” and wearing masks and gloves to the grocery store.
This means, Dads, too will get to be creative. Maybe, you’ve already mapped out an entire day’s worth of outdoor exercise and adventure, 6 feet from other families. This way we are free to wander from room-to-room without stumbling into a tiny human inquiring about a suspicious brown object next to the toilet bowl.
Other options include backyard activities or epically long walks. If all else fails, we will happily claim a room and relish in its solitude.
It’s not just that we have earned a day of quiet or that we deserve it, it’s that we need it. With this time, we can recharge, in order to regain the strength required to carry our family through this. The greatest way to give us the Mother of all days will be whenever someone calls out for Mom, only Dad will answer.
