#socksformom

Elaine Heffner

Approaching that hallowed day - Mother’s Day - I am wondering if motherhood has always been such a complex weave in our social fabric? It seems so conflicted – on the one hand elevated above all other roles on the planet and simultaneously picked apart, over-examined, judged and debated. At this point in life, as the mother of three, I feel like I’ve had a reasonable immersion in the whole thing – from struggling to become a mother in the first place, the shock of the reality of actually having a child … and then two more… parenting everyday for a decade, staying home, going to work, juggling the wants and needs of what can feel like a million people, laughing at their antics, feeling overwhelmed with pride and love one moment, quickly followed by waves of anxiety, self-doubt or pure frustration…. Yep, it’s been full on. And yet, that is only my one small life and my short, narrow experience of it. The reality is there are a billion different versions of mothering and motherhood out there. There are countless ways in which women have both enjoyed and endured the privilege and the pain that is having a child. One thing every mothering story has in common is the impossibility of it being perfect (even the best of of the best will have given their kids a couple of sessions worth of material for their therapist in the future!). Luckily, while there is no way to be a perfect mother, there are many ways to be a good one. And those ways – being authentic, kind and generous; connecting with compassion and openness; judging less and listening more; being present; finding humor; weathering disappointments side by side, and a million other small investments of ourselves – are not the exclusive domain of mothers. They are available to us all – those who’ve lost a mother, those who’ve lost a child, those glorious earth mother types, those dads who are doing both jobs, those whose mothering dreams are unfulfilled and those whose expectations have been tipped upside down. At the end of the day, mothers are people and people have amazing capacity to love, connect and change another person’s world. Without doubt the mother-child connection can be an incredible and powerful thing, that transcends distance and imprints on hearts - it is something worth celebrating. So, this Mother’s Day, if you are one or if you have one in your life, make her (or yourself) feel the love. And if you aren’t, or you don’t, why not celebrate another connection that gives you comfort and a sense of coming home. And, of course, nothing says home like a comfy pair of outstandingly fun socks 😉! But mostly, embrace the day and share some joy! Gratefully yours, Thane SproutMojo Co-Creator