The Selfish Mother

Saturday, May 10, 2008

This is the story of a selfish mother. No, she isn't one of those Hallmark card moms, who darned your socks or made chicken soup for your colds. Those are the cards she sent to her own mom. She thanked her mom for being selfless, for her devotion to her family, for all the years of love. But they were hollow words. Words she spoke because it was required every May.

Then 14 years ago everything changed. She was no longer just a daughter, or even a mother-to-be. She was Mom. And she realized that being a mom isn't selfless -- it's the most selfish thing she'd ever done. To be a mom is to know the joy of hearing a little voice say "Mommy" for the first time. Being a mom is to find your heart overflowing with pride when your baby takes their first step, sings their first song, or wins their first race.

How can a mom be described as selfless, when everything she does for her child makes her feel so incredible? There is no feeling anywhere that can compare with the feeling inside when your baby falls asleep in your arms. There is no feeling as intense as the joy you feel when your child unwraps their Christmas gifts. Nothing can ever compare to being a mother.

Perhaps that is why I rarely ask for anything on Mother's Day. I was given the greatest gift of all -- 14 years ago.