#savethemoms
by Amy Lemieux
Surreptitiously, this has been one of our more prominent mottos of the school year. It is a phrase we use frequently at All Seasons, one we remind each other, both about our moms at the preschool and about each other.Having just celebrated Mother’s Day, I happily have a reason to blog about something near and dear to my heart; moms. I have one, I am one, and from my perch at All Seasons, I see moms in action every day. When I say “in action” I mean it literally.Our school has great dads, the best dads! We have many dads who drop off or pick up, dads who have hopped on a sled on our playground to take a fast run down our sledding hill, dads who volunteered to play board games with our preschoolers every Wednesday, and one dad who even packed a healthy lunch for his preschooler every day for two years. (Translation: Do not email or call me to ask why I don’t love dads, because I do).Today is my day to share something that has been burning in my heart, that makes me bite my tongue - what I’ve observed for seven years at the preschool, 18 if you include my years of parenting, or 23 if you include my years teaching in a classroom. It is 2016 and moms, myself included, still do the lion’s share of the parental duties. We do what many refer to as invisible parenting. By that I mean all the stuff that no one notices unless moms don’t do them. Some examples;“There is one graham cracker and a can of olives in the cupboard.”“We haven’t had toilet paper for a week. My butt is starting to chafe.”“Why aren’t all my soccer jerseys washed for the tournament? Where are my shin guards? Where is the tournament?”“I can't feel my feet. I think my socks are too small.”“The school nurse said I have whooping cough. What’s an immunization?”“The litter box is overflowing and smells like a dead animal. Huh. I think the cat died. Has anyone fed him?”“I didn’t get to go on the field trip today because I didn’t have a permission slip. Or a sack lunch. Or shoes.”Most moms I know do not ask for much, perhaps nothing. For Mother’s Day, my daughter re-gifted me a reusable shopping bag with a picture of Yoda on it and it brought me to tears. If you are one of these moms whose tasks go unnoticed, thank you. We have noticed you. If you know a mom whose tasks go unnoticed, notice them and thank them. Next time you grab a tube of toothpaste out of the drawer, wonder what magic brought it there.
Thank you, moms.