SHOUT OUT to you Mothers on Mother’s DayEvery early May, we all make an extra effort to say thanks to our moms who mean the world to us.

But with Mother’s Day approaching next week….this working mom wants to throw out a HUGE SHOUT OUT specifically to the working moms in our lives!

First let me clarify that ALL moms, whether they work in the home, or out, are WORKING MOMS.  Both present challenges that most of the population will never be lucky enough to experience.  Challenges like spills the size of Lake Michigan in the backseat of your new car, piles of laundry you ignore until they’re finally asleep, getting kids from point A to point Z on an average school day, buying & cooking food they will actually eat, and if you’re lucky…. finishing that new book you bought last Christmas, by next Christmas.

Now granted, while you’re experiencing those challenges it may be an effort to feel grateful at that moment (…picture milk spilling all over the couch you just paid $300 to clean.)  But wow – soak it in (pun intended) because those days will fly by and those are some of the best memories.

When I had my three boys (including twins) and worked full time out of the home, everyone would say “enjoy it while you can.”  I wish I would have taken the time to really heed that advice, but sometimes we get too busy trying to make everything perfect, to really hear it.   I quickly developed an understanding and appreciation for what my mother, and others, go through to keep all the trains running.  It’s truly a work of art….and no place for a nervous person.  Moms could conquer the world if you give them a good night sleep.

I cannot fail to mention……that yes, we love our dads too.  Dads work very hard to be good parents and good husbands, but it’s not the same.  Moms have this worrying gene…it’s not even worrying really, it’s more like this constant thought process of keeping everyone on track to make sure everything gets done and everyone is happy.  Moms work tirelessly because they don’t want to let anyone down.  It’s a brilliant balance between work & family.  Between sanity and survival.  It’s a tough part of the mom job – a secret battle that we sometimes don’t even talk about.

The good news is that your kids will remember your efforts!  All (well most) of the things you do, to the point of exhaustion, will be remembered and probably replicated by your kids with THEIR kids someday.  I distinctly remember my mom going above and beyond.   Driving all over the planet to take us back and forth from friends houses, making sure we had everything we needed for school, and my favorite:  she would put a small toy in my lunch bag every now and then on holidays, for me to find in my lunch.  I still have some of them!  She worked full time, dealt masterfully with all the struggles of being a mom, conquering one task after the next without missing a beat. My sister and I were cared for, loved and happy.  And I remember all of it.

So moms…..put on your seat belts because everyday is an adventure.  We appreciate you.  We love you more than we could ever express.    If there was one wish I could bestow on you today, it would be to slow down, enjoy every second, and sleep well knowing that you are appreciated & loved.

Ellen Kletzka is the office manager at Sterling Corporation, a Lambert company.