Hi Moms and Dads!

So I'm a week late to send out a Mother's Day greeting. But when I thought about it I realized that that's exactly what living as a modern Mom is, right? Busy busy busy.

Better late than never: Happy Mother's Day!!

Thinking about Mother's Day has brought a couple of thoughts to my mind.

First, when it comes to this insane year of pandemic life, I just keep thinking that they never could have done it without us mamas. I'm in no way minimizing the contributions of Dads, but statistics show that Moms took on the bulk of the work of getting our kids through remote learning and the craziness of this year. So many teachers have told me that they couldn't have done it without the Moms. (And so many teachers were Moms trying to teach our kids while helping their own kids learn remotely. Thankyou.)

Lots of Moms gave up employment or gave up their time to make sure their families made it through lonely scary times. Thankyou.

And Moms also reevaluated what was important, found ways to forge deeper relationships with their kids and spouses. Moms have vowed to resist the busy so we can hang onto some of that new family time when we go back to all the activities.

Which brings me to my second thought: time.

The real reason I am sending this Mother's Day greeting a week late is because I also found time I haven't had before during the pandemic. And that time and space is so important. I don't want to forget the lesson I learned, about how good it is for me to spend time just letting my mind wander.

So instead of writing this last weekend I took a nap. I meditated. I walked the dog. And since my husband just gave me the coffee maker I've always wanted, I savored my coffee. And of course, I spent time with my boys.

So if your kids are old enough that you can take 10 minutes for yourself, take it. And if your kids are at those young ages when they won't let you complete a thought--at least take ten minutes when they are napping to just sit.

And remember this mothers: they couldn't have done it without us. Not this year of pandemic. Not any year.

Thankyou Moms!

Alison Escalante MD