Foreword: For a Mother's Day special, I asked my dear friend, colleague and a mother of two daughters, Cindy Chin, to share why she so loves this day that brings out the best and worst in us. Cindy Chin is an editor at Newsday. She is also a life coach specializing in relationship coaching. She loves helping individuals and couples make the most of themselves and their relationships. If you would like guidance on living a more purposeful and fulfilling life or you want someone to help navigate some of your relationship challenges, contact Cindy at emailforcindy@gmail.com to discuss coaching services.
Ah, Mother's Day. A day when children lavish us with the sweetest homemade gifts they put together in school. A day when the family takes us out for brunch or surprise us with breakfast in bed. A day when husbands declare that it's “our day” to do whatever we please.
Believe me, I love all these sentiments, but my argument is this: Why do we get the royal treatment only one day year? So sounds like after Sunday, it’s back to the reality of housecleaning, making meals, chauffeuring kids from one event to the next, breaking up fights among siblings, and so on.
The truth is that as mothers we need to create times of pampering, rest and self-care and not wait for Mother’s Day to roll around to say “Calgon, take me away” from our work and chores. But what is holding us back from showering ourselves with love and affection? GUILT! It’s the mother of negative feelings. We often feel guilty saying we want to do something that doesn’t revolve around the kids. We fear others will find us selfish. And when we do venture off on our own or with friends, we feel the need to justify to other people why we’re not with our kids.
Don’t get me wrong: Being a mom is one of the most rewarding jobs anyone could have, but in order to lead a life of balance, don’t lose sight of all the other roles you’ve known and enjoyed: romantic partner, BFF, shopping buddy, outdoorswoman, writer, bookworm, arts and crafts lover, etc. It’s all these elements along with the precious gift of motherhood that round out our sense of purpose and fulfillment.
So on this Mother’s Day, let women celebrate motherhood and everything else that they are!
Cindy Chin is trained under the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, a fully accredited program with the International Coaching Federation. She has nearly 20 years of experience in communications, is a mother of two and active in the community. For more information, visit Cindy’s website at: coachingwithcindy.wordpress.com
