歪歪漫画

I鈥檇 like to recognize the moms out there who are quietly doing all the things that only moms can do, in ways that only moms know how.

As a dad, I know I have my skills and I put them to use daily for my family. But my contributions are different from the superpowers of moms.

My kids inherently understand this better than my wife and me. The kids know to ask Mom for some things and Dad for other things. My wife may say, 鈥淕o ask your father,鈥� but they already know that it鈥檚 her answer they want. Dad鈥檚 answer won鈥檛 suffice.

Sometimes they鈥檒l ask me where the (fill in the blank) is. If it鈥檚 in the house, it鈥檚 very likely that only mom knows its whereabouts.

There are conversations that they only want to have with Mom. When they are sick, they know that their mom will bring them back to good health far better than their dad. They may pretend to fend off the hugs and kisses from mom, but they know that those are life-giving and in the right moment, they can change the whole direction of the day.

Things weren鈥檛 all that different with my mom, who is still outdoing herself in mothering.

While both my parents are excellent at not getting angry with me even though I gave them plenty of opportunities, my mom has patience that is never-ending.

I won鈥檛 forget the countless years that she fed us, cleaned up after us, looked out for us and yet gave us tremendous love and freedom in our childhood. I cannot recall a time growing up when she made me feel like I was a burden or that I owed her for all that she did for me.

That鈥檚 a constant check on my own attitudes about parenting. After a busy day of work, when I transition to making a meal for the family, I sometimes get a little upset when the kids don't like what I put on the table. Sure, my one-pot wonders may not be as great as the cheeseburgers and mini corn dogs they get on their school lunch trays, but it鈥檚 usually nutritious and edible.

To be fair, I don鈥檛 remember a time when there wasn鈥檛 something my mom put on the table that I wouldn鈥檛 eat. It was pretty much never the one-option kind of meal that I try to slip in under the kids鈥� noses. No, Mom would fill the table with options. And if I didn't like the hot food options, there was always a plate of bread, a bowl of lettuce and Western dressing so I could make as many lettuce sandwiches as it took to fill my void. (Don鈥檛 knock it til you try it.)

I didn鈥檛 complain about food, she didn鈥檛 complain about my diet.

While she鈥檚 a great cook, it was the way she fed us. She was pleased to do so. Caring for our every need without complaint taught us about being selfless. She didn't have to hammer us with lessons or try to explain why she was doing what sie was doing. She led by example in all that she did.

Still today, when we have a need, my mom is eager to help without asking for anything in return. Her desire to do good things for her children is unwavering. It鈥檚 the kind of attitude that wasn鈥檛 drilled into me by any means. It鈥檚 one I鈥檝e witnessed over and over again and can鈥檛 help but want to model as a parent.

So to my mom, my wife and all the moms out there who are doing what no one else can, day after day, I wish you a happy Mother's Day. May your children be a constant blessing and reminder of the good you鈥檝e done here on earth.