What Mother's Day is not

I realized something this year. There's no such thing as a "day off" for moms. Try as it might, even the almighty Hallmark can't make that happen. And I'm okay with that.

Day in and day out, whether the kids are on my lap, in the next room or six time zones away, that motherly instinct that kicked in the first time I saw a positive pregnancy test will simply not let my brain rest. Like a CD stuck on repeat, the soundtrack of my life is always playing in the background. There are tracks for basic necessities (Do we have any food for dinner?), for medical concerns (Where did that big bruise come from?), for family harmony (Who started that fight?), for emergencies (Can you hold it until we get home?), for unsolved mysteries (Where did they put their sneakers?), and occasionally even for personal matters (Did I eat lunch today?).

A day off, piping hot breakfast in bed and perfectly clean children that mind their manners and stay out of your hair all day is hardly a realistic expectation for a day called "Mother's Day." If being a mom was merely an occupation, perhaps you could take a personal day, clear your mind of all concern for the well-being of others and be a little selfish for a little while. But being a mom isn't a job, it's a calling.

What I've come to realize is that whether you're a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, a mom on vacation with or without the kids, an expectant mom, a mom whose kids have left the nest, a mom of many or a mom who's experienced loss, "Mom" is so much more something you do on a daily basis. It's a lifestyle. It's a personality. It's a responsibility that doesn't go away.

Sure, I'd love a break as much as the next gal. But I love my job. I wouldn't trade my responsibility for these kids for anything in the world. The cards were great, the flowers are beautiful, and I enjoyed my time to myself to go shopping for some clothes with stretchy waistbands. But for now, as long as my husband continues to go to work each day to support me staying home with the kids, and as long as my kids need me to kiss boo boos and wipe noses and snuggle when they wake up from their naps, every day is Mother's Day.