You wake up sick one morning, miss that time of the month, and know you are about to go for a nine month ride of feeling fat and uncomfortable. With a life growing inside you, you begin to do all things for the benefit of your baby. Your desires to be a healthier person are enhanced. You focus on building a strong baby. Then comes the big day of delivery where we guys will try (and fail) to understand what you are going through. No one ever will, except those who have traveled down the same road as you.
Watching the intensity of the birth my newborn son, I wondered, will he be thankful for his mom?
As the days fly by, I see the loss of sleep, the interrupted meals and the ever growing list of other things that need to get done but don't. I see some of her goals fall to the bottom of her priority list as she lovingly tends to the needs of a newborn baby. She loses herself in the service of a child.
You have seen it, too. Or, if you are a mother, you are numbered among the most selfless, kind and underappreciated professionals of our time. With over 30 years of experience working with mothers, I have learned the proper way to treat a woman... especially a mother.
Always show respect
Respect is showing deep affection. It is an expression of appreciation and reverence. Respect does not interrupt or interfere with the woman it is given to. Just as the kings and queens of the earth are honored and revered so should our mothers. Without our mothers, we have no life. Without women, there can be no true joy or happiness in this life. A boy needs his mom. Though there are times we forget to reverence you as the queens and princesses you are, please know that without you we are nothing. Show respect to your mother.
Never say "no" to your mom
Not only should you never say no to your spouse, you should never say no to your mom. After realizing the sacrifices of motherhood, could you in good conscience ever deny a request from her? After all she has given to support and sustain you, would you really complain or ignore her if she asks you to do something? A son or daughter has no right to say "no" to their mom, not after all she has done. She wants the best for you and will never ask you to do something that is not in your best interest. Trust her.
Remember Mother's Day every day
I appreciate the fact that we have set aside one day of the year to recognize the selfless contributions of women and mothers. As the demands and routines of day-to-day life beat upon us, it can be easy to forget about the most important things in life. Oscar Wilde once said "to live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." Those who do truly live, remember their moms. Don't just exist, as most people. Remember Mother's Day every day.
Perhaps kneeling before your wife and mother every time you enter their presence might be a little extreme - but maybe not. We should always show respect to the women in our lives. Look for ways to honor and reverence her. When she asks you for something, do it with no hesitation. Practice serving her as she has you for so many years. And, as Mother's Day has come and gone this year remember when Mother's Day really is - every day.
