The saying goes, the heart is where the home is. Realtors like to say, the kitchen is the center and most important room in a home. The fact is whether someone lives in a small apartment, or a mansion, it is the Mom that makes it a home for the family. 65% of Americans are dual income. So in many instances, Mom is working outside the home. This means Mom must focus on both work and family. As an employer, I really admire our working Mom employees who seem to juggle it all.
As someone who grew up with my Mother working 6 days a week her entire life, on her feet in a blue collar job until she retired at 65 years old, I can appreciate how difficult it was for my Mom to care for our family, including my diabetic father, my grandfather who visited for months each year, brother and me, while starting her day at 6 am and ending it at 11 pm every single day of the week except Sundays. And, even Sundays were used to do the things around the house she could not get to during the week. Vacations were used for heavy duty house cleaning and special project. Since my Mom did not get home from work until 6 pm each night, she always made sure there was a sandwich waiting for me when I got home at 3:30 pm to tide me over until dinner.
I am quite certain that many people living in America share this same story. And, for single working Moms with children, it is that much harder, since they often have no one else to share the responsibility of raising children. This is the reason employers must be flexible and family friendly because rigid schedules are not always possible. For those families lucky enough to have Mom at home, rather than working outside the home, much of the responsibility for raising children tends to fall on Mom because Dad is so focused on work. That certainly was the case in our family.
Most countries, including the United States set aside one day a year to honor Mothers. We call it Mother's Day. It is usually the second Sunday in May. This day should be sacred. All children no matter their age, should use this day to honor their Mothers. It is a time to say Thank You for all the sacrifice Mothers make to care for their family. It is just one day a year. Let's hope all children recognize that there are plenty of other days to do other things; but Mothers Day should be completely devoted to Mothers.
