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I’ve always had a very cynical attitude towards the “Hallmark” holidays. Valentine’s Day, Mother and Father’s Day. I always felt that these people should all be properly loved and appreciated all year long. I made the expected phone calls and bought some occasional flowers, but for the most part, expected that everyone already knew my feelings towards them.
It’s also been repeatedly pointed out to me that I do a somewhat poor job at making people feel loved and appreciated all year long. I’m not exactly an affectionate person, either by behavior nor verbiage. As this is my first Mother’s Day as a blogger, I’m going to use this platform to talk a little bit about the three most important women in my life.
My mother-in-law is the archetype familial matriarch. She is a strong woman with strong beliefs who has guided her family through some rough patches over the years. She is our primary babysitter, but more than that she is the primary confidant for Kayla, somebody that Kayla can go to when she doesn’t feel like talking to her parents. Also, when she feels like talking about her parents. She’s been invaluable to us in so many ways that I don’t know where this family would be without her.
The cliche that you never really appreciate your own parents until you have children of your own is a true one. My mother put up with a massive amount of BS raising two boys but has always been the epitome of self-sacrifice. She has always been there when my brother and I have ever needed her, and that continues now that we are parents ourselves. My mom is proof that motherhood isn’t a job that ends when the kids grow up and move out. The example she has always set is one that I can only try to emulate as a father.
It would be an understatement to say that my wife and I have a somewhat different relationship now than where we began all those years ago. The one thing that has stayed constant is that she remains my best friend and the love of my life. We may no longer be partners-in-crime, but our adventures as partners-in-parenting are no less exciting. I don’t tell her any of this as often as I should, but I’m forever grateful that she came into my life. Our daughters and I are very lucky to have her. She is a fantastic mother, a great wife, and above all, the perfect partner.
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This post was previously published on thirstydaddy.com and is republished here with permission from the author.
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