Mother’s day was just as frustrating to me as any other Sunday. The one wonderful thing that happened was that my husband took the kids for about two hours so I could take a nap. That was the extent. I didn’t even get any midnight-run flowers or chocolates.

You know, I think it’s terrible that people think they need an excuse to praise mothers. But I’m a terrible scrooge at Christmas too.

Sylwia – we all know by now that your husband (my dear little brother) is perfect. But we are not all so lucky. My own dear husband tries and fails in many ways, but he does try. And that’s what counts.

http://thefascinatinggirl.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-heard-crazy-story-then-i-went-crazy.html

i enjoy the speakers on mother’s day at church. sometimes i get ideas on how to be a better mother. this life is a journey, a process of learning. why should i feel guilty because i still have things to learn? well, i don’t. i actually enjoy learning from other mothers.

who invented this mother’s day guilt anyway? And why do so many women latch on to it? huh?

Yes I think it is silly that all of the sudden the kids are heroes for picking up their own socks one whole time. Wow!! I’m so impressed. But DH has always tried to do something interesting for me and I’ve figured out that that is the way he shows love and the way he likes to show it I can’t expect the dishes to just be done and I can’t resent that he doesn’t do them all every other day (although I probably will).

I did the dishes on Mother’s Day. But Jeff took me and the kids out golfing all day, out to lunch, spent extra time etc. Sure he came home to watch basketball later. What can I really expect when it is playoff season?

We didn’t go to church and I probably didn’t last year either. Maybe I would have been bothered more. But even the over-praise of “my mom is the most amazing person in the world” over the pulpit doesn’t bother me much. It is that person’s chance to highlight their mom and if that’s the way they want to, so be it. In our ward though, Mother’s Day is Pie Day in RS. They bring in Marie Callendar’s and while the men take over primary, all the women chow down. I think it is a nice touch.

Your husband sounds like a great guy. You can be glad you’re not married to me.

I assure you the feeling is mutual.

Josh (the one who needs lessons – not the one who could give them)

Don’t get me wrong, I love my church and my faith. But there’s enough guilt to go around without holding special holiday services to distribute more to women who are doing the best they can with an extremely difficult work.

I hate the idea of these Hallmark holidays to make us feel guilty for not consuming.

I dared share that I was never allowed to call home as a missionary as the first Mother’s Day approached. The reaction I got let me know not to think out loud any more on that subject. (I am a slow learner. One would think I could have extrapolated the reaction based on 20 previous Mother’s Days.)

I actually got to discuss the idea of playing down the Mother’s Day thing when I was in the Bishopric, but the Bishop was smart enough to ignore my counsel.

Yeah it’s a fake holiday, until everybody believes it.

Interestingly (to me), the other point of my post — that some women, women who are recently mothers after years of waiting probably do NOT hate Mother’s Day — that point didn’t resonate much. (Maybe it was just too obvious of a point?)

BUT, if we have sustained our leaders, and then our leaders ask us to do something, and there’s no time now to make other (better) arrangements, isn’t it honorably to help out as we’re able?

I actually am not a big fan of breakfast in bed either. It just feels so lonely to get my breakfast and have everyone leave to eat theirs somewhere else. The best is coming down to a set table.

everyone needs the gospel, but no one needs chocolate dipped strawberries, carnations could easily do…i’m still enjoying looking at my carnation today…

for father’s day and for my husband’s birthday, all he wants is to sleep in. because he is a resident (doctor) he hardly ever sleeps. so that’s all he wants, so I am happy to let him sleep in. he feels grateful and I feel like i’m doing something he really longs for on his special days.

why would anyone resent a day of rest on mother’s day for a woman who is bombarded with other people’s needs 24/7 . being alone and not responsible for everyone’s welfare is probably the main thing a woman with small children needs. why not happily oblige her on mother’s day and feel like you’ve done a wonderful thing? why whine and gripe about it? that’s what I don’t understand.

Once, when our first baby was just a couple days old, Dick swept the kitchen floor, and I started crying, because it was seemed incredibly sweet that he would sweep the kitchen floor for me. I wish I could regain that feeling of immense gratitude for the smallest of gestures. Unfortunately, my expectations have risen (or my hormones have stabilized, either one).

I think it is a sign of the omniscience of our Heavenly Father that so many of us, like you and your Josh and my friend Josh and his Suzy, and me and my Dick — so many of us are so well-matched by our partners in marriage. Our children are blessed to have such complementary mother-father teams.

Renae — I’m so glad our church lady leader enjoys MD — I couldn’t help thinking about her and all the extra work she (and you) did. And I WAS sorry to miss the delicious food!!!!!

Thanks for sharing this. I think Dick feels very similarly to you, and I think you’re absolutely right — how ironic that a day of celebration of motherhood brings to light the fact that we (I, as a mother) want nothing more than a break from what (who) makes us mothers.

I am with you 100%, except I think Father’s Day is fun — maybe esp. bec. I have all girls, and Dick is just so cute with them? I don’t know.