Mother's Day

Today is a national day of recognition, for all the mother's out there. As I woke to see various people's statuses on various online programs commenting as such, one item had the word "mother" in link form, taking me to my oft frequented site dictionary.com. Pages of definitions, all of which ultimately indicate one thing, that "mother" means a female parent.

As I thought on this a bit I recalled a common phrase I used to hear quite a bit at my old job, and growing up. "Any male can be a father, it takes a man to be a dad." While I'm certain I'm not the first to apply it to mothers, I don't recall off the top of my head ever hearing it phrased as such.

My brothers will be the first (and usually second and third and fourth and...) to remind me, as well as inform everyone else, that i am a "momma's boy". A term they often meant as a put down, wikipedia even hints to such..."male who has a very, perhaps too, close bond with his mother, often making him soft". You may call it denial, I even laugh to myself a bit thinking about, but I will continue to insist that their is detrimental about my relationship with my mother growing up.

Whether it was the 8 or more calls a day to her at work when my brothers tormented me, building lego castles by the couch when I was home sick from school (that I hear can lead to accidently rolling off the couch and splitting one's head open), her advising me on science fair projects that often took me to school, county, and regional accolades, or her constant and unyielding support through a sport she was ultimately terrified that I was doing in the first place.

I blame/credit my mother with lots of things; my complexion, eye color, chocoholism, my video gaming habits (though she'll deny that one)...but ultimately it's at the core of who I am that I give her the most credit. Think my close nature with my mother growing up good or bad, I'm quite sure it's a major factor in who I am today, my emotional nature, my big 'soft' heart.

So for that, and so many other reasons I can't put in to text, I am extremely thankful for and to my mom. Most of all, for always being there with open arms, that I probably all too rarely take the oppurtunity to fill.

Happy Momma's Day!

To my Mom most of all, but also to my grandmothers, my sisters, and all the other mom's in my life...and any other's that happen upon this, that in so many of their own ways are doing the things that make a mother a mom!