A Conspiracy Theory

I love being a mother, and I really love being a mother to girls. There has been no calling given to me in life that has compared to the fulfillment and joy that I have received from raising my kids. I am a girly girl and I like girly girl stuff. I suppose it is because I was raised by a girly momma and surrounded by sisters, but I just cannot get enough of girls. And for that matter, I am also drawn to other people's daughters. I love seeing the differences in woman and girls, and I love knowing that back when God created Adam and Eve, He desired us to be lovely, set apart, and different from men.

All this to say, I feel compelled to call a spade a spade. I think Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation Week must indeed be a conspiracy created by Hallmark and men. I was on the way to sweet Caroline's Mother's Day celebration at her preschool yesterday (which let me say carried a "no siblings aloud" rule which is awesome for me as I am now paying for a babysitter...not that I really blame them for not wanting a one and half year old terrorist in the room); and I was having a conversation with my sister on the phone who had experienced a panic attack in the middle of the night over all the stuff swirling around in her brain. We were trading sob stories about all the school parties that were going on right now (she has 4 children), and the fact that Mother's Day coincides on the calendar with Teacher Appreciation Week. A fact, we both find amusing. Her theory was that some man decided they would stick Teacher Appreciation Week on the calendar as the week before Mother's Day, because they figured that they would just try and butter us up on Mother's Day as a way to make up for all the busyness from the week before. All the draggin' your misbehavin', screamin', whinin' kids in and out of gift shops and hallmark stores...of which I was almost uninvited back into after the destruction Thomas displayed in Hallmark. We teased that all "the men" just figured, "Yeah, we will torture them pretty good that week before Mother's Day, but then we will make it all up to them by having the kids cook and bring them breakfast in bed Sunday morning...a breakfast that they can then get out of bed to clean up. Because that will make it all better". Do you see what I mean? A conspiracy.

Now before you gasp at my audacity to not joyfully appreciate my kids teachers, you should know a few things. I was a teacher (as were all my sisters) before I had children and I am very well aware of the fact that it is one of the most challenging (and rewarding) professions out there. You should also know that if I could pick only a few people to live on a deserted island with for the rest of my life, my daughter's kindergarten and first grade teachers would be on my list. These are a few of the finest woman God placed on this earth, and they are indeed appreciated and loved, I adore these women. You should also know that all the moms and grandmothers in our lives are treasured beyond words....my selfish complaining has nothing to do with the teachers or the moms in our world, but rather Hallmark and "some man". Like I said, I think it's a conspiracy.

I also hope you are smiling and not offended, and I trust that you will enjoy your breakfast in bed that was prepared not by the hands of your children, but rather straight from the heart of God...and that you will joyfully clean the disaster that will surely be in your kitchen when they are done cooking.

Happy Mother's Day!
Love,