moms are the glue that hold us all together

​I've always known that moms are glue. But I've never believed it more than I've come to believe it since last Mother's Day.

First, from a personal standpoint, when my marriage ended last year, I said if I had a chance to pick a mom for my boys, I'd pick the one they have.

Every time.

When I talk to friends about the challenge of my broken marriage, I tell them the hardest part is pulling out of the driveway after a weekend visit or a dinner or throwing ball with the boys. Pulling away and watching them walk into their house. That is hell.

Every time.

The comfort, the peace that eventually comes my way, comes in knowing on the other side of that front door is a mom who would give her life for her boys. A mom, who from the day of their births forward, has poured everything into her boys.

Not every kid has faced a broken marriage this year. But almost all kids have faced the most challenging year of their lives. I think it will be many years before we truly know the impacts of the pandemic on our kids.

But whatever those impacts ultimately reveal themselves to be, our kids have been greatly protected from them by moms.

I've sat on many work meetings this year when my best work friend was on the other end of that call tending to her boys while tending to our meeting. There were days I could see the exhaustion on her face. Weary from the battle - the battle of being mom and professional and teacher.

But always, shining through the weariness, I could see love.

Every time.

I know I have a lot of friends out there who were on the other end of calls like that since last Mother's Day. Weary from the battle, but love shining through.

I have a friend who took on the responsibility of homeschooling her step-children this year while running a business. She does it like there's no 'step' at all about her kids. She does it with love shining through.

I have friends who gave up their jobs, down-sized their lives, all to give their kids the best chance to come through this pandemic as healthy as they came into it. All because of love.

I have friends battling challenging marriages themselves, yet they stay in there, maybe at the expense of having a life for themselves, or even at a risk to themselves, solely because they believe that's the best place to give their kids a chance at life.

Soley because of love.

Science tells us the greatest predictor of the long term health of our kids is what happens in the first 3 years of a kid's life. That's because it's in those first 3 years the brain wires in like glue the bond between a kid and it's mom (or primary caregiver).

A 3 day old baby cries out in hunger.

Mom shows up to feed her.

A wire connects in the brain.

At 3 days old, a baby girl has wired in the power of relationship. At 3 days old, a baby boy has wired in - like glue - the ultimate difference maker in his life.

There have been a lot of protective factors in our kids lives during this pandemic, I just happen to believe that moms have been the glue that holds them all together.

I believe that about my kids. And many of yours.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Please know that shining through the weariness of the battle, I see love. I see the glue.

I am thankful for all you do to hold us all together.

Every time.