Editor’s Column: Moms, take care of yourselves

It’s something of a tradition to write about Mother’s Day in this editorial space, but this year it’s

coming to you from a slightly different point of view.
Mother’s Day as an official holiday was established in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson. By 1920 it had become a commercial success for greeting card manufacturers, prompting boycotts of the holiday by the very woman who pushed to have the day established, Anna Jarvis. Jarvis believed greeting card manufacturers were exploiting the holiday, and threatened to sue. Despite her efforts, a little more than a century later Mother’s Day is still a commercial success.
My first Mother’s Day celebrated as a mother was in 1991. I had a 2-month-old daughter and all I remember is unrelenting fatigue, smelling like sour milk and a never-ending pile of dirty laundry. As the years went by and we added more children, Mother’s Day included precious handmade gifts and cards scrawled in crayon and offers from my husband to cook and clean up. But it was never the “rest day” the media envisioned it to be. There were babies to nurse, children to dress and messes to clean up. Mother’s Day often felt like “just another day.” Mothering was hard, and it didn’t take a vacation. Part of that was my own fault. I didn’t let myself take a break.
So, for all you moms out there (including my oldest, who has four little ones of her own now), whether it’s this Sunday or another day this week that works with your schedule, take a legitimate break… not a “mother’s day,” per se, but a day for yourself. Or an hour. Or 15 minutes. Or whatever time you can claw out of your schedule.
Someone has said, “the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” You’re raising the next generation, the ones who will eventually be in charge. Effectively taking care of someone else requires that you first take care of yourself. If you’ve ever been on a commercial flight, you know the safety drill: adjust your own oxygen mask before helping those around you..
So, for Mother’s Day, from one mother to another, to all of you who are so busy taking care of everyone else you forget to take care of yourself, this is your Mother’s Day gift: Permission to do something for yourself without feeling guilty about it. Mother’s Day isn’t about your kids, it’s about you. Give yourself a Mother’s Day present.