Being a mom is a job. It is sometimes a thankless job, it is a job that leads to days and nights wrought with worry and fear. It is a job that asks you to be selfless and kind. It is a job that asks you to love unconditionally. It is a job that asks you to sacrifice. Sacrifice with the understanding that what you have done as a mother could never be acknowledged. It is a job whose sole reward is one day your child will love you as you love them and appreciate all you have done, all you have given them. This reward is not ever guaranteed. Upon giving birth you accept this job, its title and all that it brings. But there are mothers in this world who walk away from these responsibilities. They are moms by the most technical definition only and we allow them to keep that title. After all, bringing another life into this world is no small feat so that seems fair. We should not judge or blame them for their decisions. If you seek the motive as to why they walk away, merely look at the job requirements and there is your answer. Being a mom is not a job many covet but it is a job in high demand with many vacancies. In fact the only "why" that should be asked is, "upon knowing all of this, why do some choose to become moms?"

Being a mother, regardless of circumstance, is a choice. These women walk or sometimes are pulled into other people's lives and choose to accept the role and title. Sometimes they are already mothers with their own children but given the choice they take on more. Some do this because of marriage, others through adoption and others still through less planned means. They have no way of knowing the people we might grow into, the hardships we could cause or the heartache that can follow. We cannot expect kids in these circumstances or kids in general to understand the dual meaning of mom. As children we are tied to this idea that the person who gives you life is your mother. Over time however, we slowly become aware of terms like “step mom” or “biological mom”. This distinction can make the job of mom increasingly more difficult. A distinction that often makes the reward of being a mom seem even less possible or even probable. Yet in spite of situations like these real moms choose to be moms. They care, they fight, they sweat, they bleed, they cry, they push. They hope that we are better off now than before we met them or before we existed. They pray we do more good than bad. Above all they want, for nothing more than for each of us to become the person they know we truly are. They do all this knowing full well that even if we become that person, we might never know it was them who helped make us what we are.

So then why in god's name take that job!? The answer I have come to is two fold. First being real moms know what the job of mother is asking, they assume the role and for better or worse, accept everything that comes with it. The second is love. They love the person they may or may not be raising you with, they love you for better or worse and I think when it is all said and done they love the job of being a mom.

So today especially is about giving mothers that reward. We tell them we love them, we acknowledge their sacrifice. We tell them that we are sorry for the tears and the late nights and the worry and the pain that we caused. Above all, we tell them that, “because of your unyielding dedication to being a mom, to being my mom, that I am who I am today in part because of you and I hope that I have made you proud.”

Somebody once told me,

do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.

Sure, fine, but don’t tell that to your mother.