Celebrating Mothers

As you well know, or I hope you do, this Sunday is Mother’s day. And I just wanted to spend a moment celebrating ALL the mothers out there. And I do mean ALL the Moms.

You know those “single, I never wanted to do this by myself, but this guy just can’t get right, so I hold it down” moms.

And the “I never wanted this baby, but I thought it would make him stay even though he left, and he doesn’t see the kid, but I still let him hit” moms.

Also the “I’m lonely, so my kids are my best friends, take my daughter down the street to fight that chick and put it on Youtube, when keepin’ it real goes wrong” moms.

But you have to big up the “I’m single for whatever reason that I am not explaining to you, balling out of control or broke, I got this financially, I want a man but won’t compromise for one, my kids are together” moms.

And you got to give it up to the “my kids come first and I use them as an excuse not to advance myself, oh woe is me, pity party with my other lazy momma” moms.

But then you have to celebrate the “my kids come first as I push every other waking hour to advance myself, so that I can be an example of work ethic, on my momma and my grind, man or not” kind of moms.

And whether you realize it or not there are the “same sex, I don’t care what you think, we are going to raise this child, born to us or adopted, because we have love to give” moms.

But you can’t ignore the “don’t forget that all mothers are not single parents, I have a husband and I hold down the house and these babies, not to fulfill am antiquated gender role, but because this is what I do, I’m the black June Cleaver” mom.

And we have to celebrate the “I’m married and love it, we both work cause we have to or cause we’re called to, I am a professional or even an executive, and I cook on the days he doesn’t, better than Clair Huxtable” moms.

And you may not know many of them, but there are the “I earn it ALL, cause that’s what we agreed to, my man is a real man that stayed at home with the kids, supporting my career advancement, I am bigger than Kimora, power broker” mom.

And last but not least there is the “I am not a woman, but for whatever reason mom is gone, and I am the single dad holding it down anyway I know how, like so many of my single sisters do” mom.

So if you fit into any of those boxes, or if I missed the kind of mom you are. I just want to say thank you to the “read to their kids, great mix of discipline and tenderness, I keep myself together for me and my kids tight for them, I show up at the school, and do homework at home, realize I don’t know it all, but will learn what I don’t know, committed to leaving a legacy” moms out there.

There are all kinds of moms out there and we love you ALL. Thank you for playing a role in making the future brighter, for every great woman and man enters this world through his or her mother. So I would ask that as we celebrate you, that you value and remind some that forgot (or never learned how to value) the most blessed job you could ever be given; that you are the gateway to all life. Cherish it, no matter your circumstance and the world will be better for it.

Join me Sunday 5-7 p.m. on my Internet show THE INTERSECTION at http://www.blis.fm as my mother and I talk with other generations of mothers about the 10 things every mother should know.

Happy Mothers Day.

I’m Jeff Johnson and that’s my truth.