Mother's Day: It's Complicated
Unscripted: Menopause and a Uvalde mom speaks out
I know don’t have to remind you today is Mother’s Day, a day where we do our best to show our moms how much we care. (However, if I did just remind you, run to the store to grab a card right now and call your mom!)
I have a very complicated relationship with this holiday, which is no surprise as I have a complex relationship with being a mom all together. While the roots of this holiday were born in 1908 as a way for Anna Jarvis to pay tribute to her mother - an activist and community organizer - we now know it as a holiday rife with 30% off sales as a pit stop on a marketing calendar before the mattress sales of Memorial Day.
I hope you can tell I have a healthy skepticism about how we take each holiday and commodify it. It puts on this pressure to have the perfect present, brunch tablescape, or flower bouquet when the day was really all about connecting to those we love and sharing how much they mean to us. I find myself starting to think about Mother's Day gifts in late March, only to finally settle on a gift and card the day before and issue a "you're getting your present a little late" apology.
I realize that today can be a landmine of emotions for many reasons. This holiday can be bittersweet, feeling loved with your little kiddos while grieving your mom who has passed recently. Or maybe it’s a fantastic day with your parents, in-laws, or chosen family as a way to Your kids may have completely forgotten it was a holiday, or you might be struggling to build the family you want.
It’s a day of the “Both/And,” the truest testament of motherhood. Of joy and pain. Of hope and disappointment,
And maybe - just maybe - you can find connection and healing.
No matter what situation you find yourself in or how you choose to celebrate this day, I hope you’ll give yourself and others grace and take good care of yourself and your needs.
P.S. Happy 6th birthday, dear Brendan.
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What We’re Watching
Menopause isn’t just a health issue. As the inimitable Omisade Burney-Scott shares, it’s a social justice and economic issue. Listen to her podcast here.
On her first Mother’s Day since her daughter Amerie was murdered in the Uvalde shooting, Kimberly Garcia shares how she copes.
The grim reporting around Jordan Neely’s murder on an NYC subway train last week. This piece from Vice covers America's obsession with vigilantism.
You gotta love leaks: The unfolding story of how billionaire Harlan Crow has been financially supporting Justice Clarence Thomas’ lavish vacations, homes, and education.
Blogging pioneer Heather Armstrong died a few days ago. As Meg Conley so eloquently stated, all roads for “mommy blogging” and talking about the realness of motherhood and mental health ran through Dooce.com. We’re heartbroken.
Made You Laugh
We couldn't choose just one:
Sweet, sweet coronation memes.
As Gwen Stefani famously sang, I’m just a girl.
George Washingeese taking a stroll through Target.
Worth the watch: “Woof, it’s my little leggies.”