A Typical Mother's Day

For Mother’s Day I had a great plan, or so I thought. My husband, my two beautiful daughters and I were going to travel to Holland to the Windmill Island Gardens to visit the amazing tulip and flower oasis that we’ve heard so much about. There are over 180,000 flowers and a fun Dutch village with cultural sites to see. We also had planned a great dinner on the waterfront. I was especially excited to spend this Mother’s Day somewhere different than the years before.

As Saturday approached, I noticed my six year old sounding a little under the weather. By Sunday morning, we knew there was no day trip in our near future. Emma had come down with something that caused her to spike a pretty decent fever, develop a frog-like voice and feel really awful. I felt terrible for her because she was very excited to go. I also felt bad for myself, because I knew no matter how terrific of a job my husband did today (and he did really, really good), I would still be needed rather than celebrated and pampered.

We spent the day around the house, ate sushi, and planted flowers instead. I also repeatedly filled juice cups, wiped noses, took temperatures and dosed ibuprofen. The funny thing about today was that I still felt like the luckiest mom in the world. Instead of what had been carefully planned out, we made the best of staying around here. Parenting has taught me that sometimes I have to give up some of the control that I am so used to having over my everyday life. While it would’ve been nice not to do the same stuff I do on a regular basis, the important thing was that I spent a wonderful day with my kids.

Their homemade cards and gifts were just as special and being home prompted us to watch the videos of the two most amazing days of my life- the days my two girls were born. We laughed, cried, and reveled in amazement over how fast they have grown. Despite everything it turned out to be a very good Mother’s Day and one that reminded me that it matters not where we are, but who we are with.

Sara Arsenault is a full time stay at home mother of two, a community volunteer, and a contributor to the Parenting section of AnnArbor.com She welcomes your Mother’s Day stories or comments at searsen@live.com