This is the "Thank You" a Mom Never Gets

“I need a few minutes of quiet,” I told my husband. Without issue, he scooped up our toddling son and toted him out of the kitchen to the piano in the dining room where my rambunctious gremlin proceeded to whack and smack the piano keys in a headache-inducing way.

But I said nothing. I just kept washing dishes, grinding my teeth in silence. Not once did I let my dire need for a few seconds of solace come before everyone else’s needs. A few hours later, my little love fell asleep on me and wouldn’t let me put him down. I remained on the couch for the night without a chance to shower or brush my teeth.

We moms do so many things to love our children well. We overthink food ingredients, rashes, and our decisions about daycares and nap schedules. We take our littles to the park, the movies, the museum—anything to blend fun and education. We go to bat for our teens when friends, teachers, or coaches mistreat them. We answer our adult children’s random texts, like, “Is this chicken cooked through?” and “What is my taxpayer ID?” We give up everything from our sanity to sanitary needs, forgetting we are human and have basic survival requirements too.

We do all the things. Sure, we aren’t perfect, but we moms have no choice but to indulge patience and produce resilience, or else who would?

Don’t get me wrong—Mother’s Day is nice, but thank you cards collect dust and flowers wilt and are scattered outside. If you’re a mom feeling unseen and unappreciated, I want you to know I see you. I appreciate you. And I want to send you this “thank you” for days when everyone ignores the hard work you continuously pour into your family. This letter might be a little untraditional, a sort of listicle, but it’s a thank you I feel you deserve:

Hey, Mama!

Thank you for the morning sickness (and afternoon sickness and nighttime sickness), heartburn, puffy feet, and exhausting days you tolerated to keep your baby snug and safe in your belly.

Thank you for showing up at the pediatrician’s office two days in a row, cradling your feverish baby in their pajamas, and refusing to leave the doctor until someone had an answer.

Thank you for getting on your hands and knees to crawl under the dining room table and pick up tiny crumbs that are never yours.

Thank you for taking your baby to church even if you spend all your time in the nursery.

Thank you for being willing to look weird when you won’t let your kids have cheese puffs.

Thank you for being willing to look weird when you let your kids have an ice cream.

Thank you for not losing your mind when nursery rhymes blare, your toddler demands you find her purple fuzzy socks she outgrew months ago, and your baby is wailing to nurse. And if you do lose your mind (like most of us actually do), thank you for finding it again even if it’s only because you have to.

Thank you for forgiving yourself and recognizing your best will never be perfect—and that’s okay.

Thank you for keeping that gerbil alive that your kids swore they would take responsibility for.

Thank you for letting your kiddos make homemade slime that you will clean up.

Thank you for creating Christmas traditions, like making homemade ornaments, serving Grinch punch, and hosting Home Alone movie nights.

Thank you for letting your 16-year-old daughter wake you up at midnight because she can’t decide if she should break up with that loser.

Thank you for never being in a photo because you’re too busy creating the memory.

Thank you for limiting screen time for those teenage boys and monitoring their video game chats.

Thank you for driving back home because someone forgot their cleats . . . again.

Thank you for folding another load of laundry that will only be tossed in a crumpled heap.

Thank you for the countless nights of worrying and praying when your grown kids are moving into their college dorm, prepping for a job interview, or planning a wedding proposal.

Thank you for setting boundaries that might offend family and friends.

Thank you for making the hard decisions that mean your child might not like you for a season.

Thank you for facing the long days.

Thank you for enduring the long nights.

Thank you for being the mama the God of the universe designed you to be. You were created to give and love and stretch and bend and sacrifice in a way only God and a mother could ever know. And you’re doing it beautifully.

Sincerely,
An imperfect, tired, proud mama

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Peyton Garland

Peyton Garland is an author, wannabe farmer, and proud boy mom, sharing her heart on faith, mental health, and eastern Tennessee life. Follow Peyton's journey on her blog, Uncured + Okay, and on Instagram @peytonmgarland.