Dwain Northey (Gen X)

Mother’s Day always makes me stop and think about how much we take our mothers for granted. We love them, of course we do, but life has a way of making us assume there will always be another phone call, another visit, another holiday, another chance to say thank you for all the things they did that we were too young, too stubborn, or too distracted to notice at the time.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized mothers carry the weight of entire families on their backs while somehow making it look ordinary. They worry when nobody sees it. They sacrifice things they never talk about. They celebrate our victories louder than their own and somehow still manage to forgive us for the countless times we acted like we knew everything. And if we’re honest, most of us eventually discover our mothers were right about far more things than we ever wanted to admit.

Today is their day, and they deserve it. The flowers, the phone calls, the dinners, the hugs, the embarrassing social media posts — all of it. But the truth is, mothers deserve more than one designated Sunday a year where we suddenly remember to appreciate them. Every day should be Mother’s Day in some small way. A quick call. A visit. A thank you. A reminder that all the little things they did mattered more than we realized.

I know not everyone has a perfect relationship with their mother, and life can be complicated. But for those of us lucky enough to still have our moms here, today is a good reminder that time moves fast. Someday, we’d give anything for one more conversation, one more piece of advice, or even one more moment hearing them tell us to drive safe or wear a jacket because apparently we’re still twelve years old in their eyes.

And honestly, maybe that’s part of what makes mothers so special. No matter how old we get, to them we’re still their kids.