Mother’s Day Musings from the Germantown Avenue Mamas

What I would really like for Mother’s Day by Elizabette:

Mother’s Day sneaks up on me again this year, so moms really need to be honored everyday. But for now, a weekend to sleep and someone else to fill my shoes would be nice. My kids always say that they wish I had a clone, one for each of them. Perhaps, in this instance, I can let go of my fight with technology taking over the world and allow a robot to do my job while I travel the ethers. That or a magic wand! I am open. Only for a weekend, of course!

 

Once I am well rested, I would appreciate if the universe could shower me with more creative energy, drive and time to manifest my reality.

 

I would love if the city could resume street cleaning in my neighborhood, if folks could stop throwing litter on the sidewalk only to be blown into my yard, and place their trash in the bag we have provided them and curb their dog at the same time. More support for working mothers would be a plus. Some respect for all life forms, including plants, animals and people. More love, more compassion, the means and resources for everyone to pursue their dreams, healthier choices and a healthier planet because of it.

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Mother’s Day past and present by Paula:

My father hated celebrating his birthday and he wasn’t that fond of Father’s Day, but Mother’s Day was an important holiday to him. He made sure that each of his eight children, in some capacity, celebrated Mom. I recall saving pennies to buy her favorite perfume from the “Avon Lady”, diligently making cards, and, after trashing the kitchen, serving her breakfast served in bed. The message was clear every day; we were to honor our mother, but, on Mother’s Day it was paramount.

 

Decades later, as a mother to four, I wonder how my father’s lessons are impacting me. Ultimately, I know that I am modeling his teachings. I want my children to honor their parents and their elders. I want them to recognize the blessing of family and the importance of showing appreciation.

 

On Sunday, I don’t need any fancy gifts, but I do look forward to the pride on their young faces when they present the decorated flower pots or fingerprinted cards they painstakingly created. I will thank them profusely and ask them the same question I’ve been asking them since they were born, “What do I LOVE being?”

 

And, as they do every time I ask, they will reply, “My mother”.

 

 

What I would really like for Mother’s Day by Maleka:

This is inspired by other writing I’ve seen this year by local blogging moms. I have three children and my life is hectic. I’m tired. But I’m also tired of seeing Philadelphia children’s lives being affected more and more by the cutting of resources and educational programs that so many of us desperately need. My son is currently in a Montessori Head Start program which is threatened to be cut completely from federal funding. There’s been numerous studies that show children who start kindergarten well prepared continue to have success throughout their school years.

 

So, sure, I’d love some cute earrings and a skirt. But here’s what else I want:

 

-equal accessibility to arts and music education for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

-more support for our local libraries, to be able to be open longer, provide more free classes and resources for families, especially when our children’s school funding is being cut. We need ways to supplement education affordably.

-more affordable childcare options for all parents and caregivers.

-the end to the death penalty in Pennsylvania, thereby releasing over $2 million a year, which can be spent on education and the arts. (Thanks to Aja Beech: great mom, poet, and board member for Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty)

 

Love, Maleka

 

 

Mothering love by Kim:

There is really nothing like being a mother for me. I can say that now, after a few years of arriving into this role. The acceptance of this as the direction of my purpose meant I had to let assumptions and expectations go to make space for the grand love.

 

It has been a transformative journey. I hope that as families are made and expanded that parents are able to experience the power of it. I want each parent to be able to let love be their guide. For that to happen, I realize that for many people many other things need to happen across the board- like earning a stable income at a living wage, addressing toxic life cycles, having affordable childcare, access to healthcare and safe neighborhoods, etc.

 

I recognize this is a big nut to crack for one day, so my wish for every one who is a mother and everyone who loves a mother to be conscious of the nurturing vibe of motherhood. Think about it, when it has felt good to be a giver or recipient of that vibe, and try to replicate it somewhere over the weekend. That would honor all mothers, the love we have to give and the love the world could thrive on.

 

 

Not a day of celebration for everyone by Jen:

This Mother’s Day, while I enjoy the day with my mom and my own four children, I will also try to honor the women who feel a deep sense of loss on this day. For some women who’ve lost their mothers, this day serves as a reminder of what they’re missing. For other women still waiting to become mothers, struggling with infertility, or awaiting for “the call” for adoption, it can seem like everyone else has the one thing you want most in the world.

One thing I’ve learned as a mom is that many moms came to motherhood in challenging ways, even though you can’t tell by looking at them. Whether they were birthmothers, women who had miscarriages, women who couldn’t conceive, or women who birthed premature or sick infants or even suffered infant loss… we just don’t often talk about that difficult side of the journey. When you’re on the other side awaiting motherhood, it can seem like a very exclusive club that other women joined effortlessly. But many of those mothers you see, the families that seem to have it all… many of them spent years, tears, and pain trying to become moms. I wish we all talked about it more, so that women on both sides could support each other and would know how many people share similar journeys. And see how it’s not always easy to become a mom.

So today, I think of the joys of motherhood. I celebrate my children and my role in their lives. But I also think of all the women on both sides of the journey for whom it is anything but easy.

 

Northwest Philly Parents is a partnership between Newsworks and Germantown Avenue Parents.