Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day. At its most basic intent, it's a day for the child to acknowledge all the love and caring the child receives from his/her mother. That seems pretty simple, yes? Please don't turn it into a track and field meet...

The 100 yard dash - Dad suddenly remembers it's Mother's Day, and scoops up the kids to get to Target before they close.

The High Jump - What the aforementioned dad has to do to reach the last box of Godiva chocolates on the top shelf. If he comes home without chocolate, he will have to dodge the....

Discus Throw - This is what will be thrown at hubby by an angry chocolate-less mom. Usually the discus takes the form of grandma's china, which is also the husband's fault. (Look what you made me do!)

The Shot Put - This is the shape and consistency of mom's breakfast when she decides she needs it prepared by the Others in the house, and presented to her in bed.

Folks, you're putting far too much dependence on the man-guy for your so-called special day. For some women, this is their first Mother's Day. That means their child is less than a year old, and unable to contribute to the festivities. The woman then turns all her expectations on her poor husband. He has to make her first Mother's Day a special one. Why this is I don't know, but if it's not special, heads will roll. Anyone who reads IVillage Pregnancy and Parenting boards knows what I'm talking about.

I'm pretty sure the mom is a mom only to her child(ren), not her husband. Sure, some men act like children and can be the biggest babies on earth, but that's beside the point. She's not her husband's mother, and I don't think he should be expected to make anything "special". Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's fair if the husband expects his wife to remind him to call his own mother, or make sure a card/gift gets sent out. It goes both ways. My point is that (finally, right?) we shouldn't depend on someone else to magically make us happy. Meaning, if we want our Mother's Day to be special, we should be prepared to make it known what we want. Most men aren't mind readers, they need to be told what we want, and they're usually more than willing to do it.

By the same token, if you're not already reasonably happy with your family, then the fact that it's the second Sunday in May won't change that.