A memo to my fellow moms!

A memo to my fellow moms:

First and foremost, I want to thank you heartily for taking the time to read this blog. I know that your moments of quiet and sanity are few and far between. I feel honored that you share at least a few of them with me.

Secondly, I want to remind you of something you may have forgotten. You are beautiful. Really. When your children look at you, they don’t see the tummy that didn’t quite bounce back or the gray hairs they have encouraged. They don’t see the wrinkles and dark circles around your eyes from all the hours of sleep they stole from you. They see YOU. Their mom. The one who loves them, and whose smile means more to them than almost anything else in the world.

They would probably be downright gleeful to bear witness to that gorgeous smile more often.

And on the topic of body, let me tell you one more thing. You are not less beautiful with the “imperfections” you have earned over the years. You are more beautiful. Stretch marks. Scars. Wrinkles. Hair that’s not quite coiffed. Yes, all of it. A fashion model has nothing on you. It may sound nutty to you, but I love my c-section scar. It reminds me that my children were born of my body, that I was their first home and that I will always be their home to come back to.

And more thing about your body. If your body’s current status isn’t acceptable to you because it inhibits a valued activity or because it doesn’t quite feel comfortable, then changes it. Go for it. Lose some weight or get into better physical shape. Start eating more salad and fewer cookies. Whatever.  Take care of yourself, so that you can live a longer and happier life. But don’t do it to be more beautiful because that doesn’t need any work. You’re already there.

And if the people who are supposed to love you don’t see it that way, the problem lies with their vision. Not the view.

And as for what you “get done”, hmmm… Let’s talk about that. If you believe that your accomplishments must be measured on a rote checklist, you are missing the other list. You know, the list that includes “cuddled and read with my kids”, “danced in the kitchen” and “healed the ills of the world with one of my magical kisses”.  You know, what we accomplish when we decide to stop getting things done. Oh, and incidentally the hardest thing to do in this busy and crazy world. (At least in my humble opinion).

In short, I congratulate you. I applaud you. And I suggest that you take a moment to smile at yourself in the mirror. Congratulate yourself on being the mom of that wonderful human being. And no, the fact that he/she is wonderful is not an accident.