I’m sure for most people their mothers have a special place in their hearts, as they should. But more often than not moms get their flowers in May for Mother’s Day.
This got me thinking: why not recognize them more? My mother’s birthday just passed on Jan. 31, and I realized how presents do not begin to cover what she has done. Motherhood is tough and doing it on your own is even tougher. Now, at 21 years old, looking back, I see how much she sacrificed. Mothers deserve their flowers, and highlighting them now is a start.
As stated before, motherhood is not easy. My mom told me there were plenty of times when she felt at her lowest. There were plenty of times when she had to sacrifice her needs for ours; that is one of the two hardest things about being a mother, even though there is a long list.
Sacrifice is almost synonymous with motherhood; you must sacrifice your body, your life, and your career to house a baby in your body. Bodily changes, hormonal changes, and mental changes all affect women throughout motherhood. Once the baby is born, they must sacrifice time and sleep to care for the newborn all while being out of work.
Money is another factor contributing to how difficult it is to be a mother; diapers, car seats, cribs, and clothes are all a little pricey. Even back then, it was expensive; now, the costs of raising a child have only gone up. Raising a child now costs around $237,000, and that doesn’t factor in things such as college, gifts, and school trips and events.
Now there are plenty of other things that make motherhood a daunting challenge, and those should not be overlooked. But making sacrifices and financially supporting a child for 17-18 years is tough. That is why moms deserve their flowers more than just on Mother’s Day; appreciate them and cherish them; they’ve given a lot to get you here.
As for my mom, she deserves the most flowers: a single black mom raising four kids on her own, making a whole lot of sacrifices for each of them. She has put me on this path and put me in this position to be her first kid to graduate.
Thank you to my mom and thank you to moms everywhere.
“There’s no perfect way to be a mother, but a million ways to be a great one” ~Jill Churchill