An Idea this Mother’s Day: Pay it Forward

(Last Updated On: February 1, 2015)

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about how I’ve found myself in new place this Mother’s Day.

I’m not looking for gifts. I’m so grateful to be a mom. I’m glad to have four amazing kids that actually tell me they love me.  I consider myself incredibly lucky. For the first time in years, I’m not so much looking for gratitude from my family, and the world. I’m feeling it from within.

But let me tell you. This has not always been the case.

There have been years; new mom years when I was sleep deprived and in a daze, struggling mom years when I was at the end of my rope with an IEP or parenting challenge I didn’t think I could deal with, brain dead years when I wondered if I would ever have another adult conversation, pregnant years when I was confined to my bed, crazy entrepreneur years when my businesses were stretching me so thin I feared I was failing at everything.

Motherhood isn’t easy!  Some years are tougher than others and some moms are tougher too. When I look around at my mom friends, I am amazed and inspired by the dignity with which they handle the many challenges and thankless tasks of parenthood. I recently read this touching Mother’s Day post on Cozi family by my friend Carol Schiller. She shares a unique way to celebrate other moms on Mother’s Day. The instant I read it, I knew it was what I wanted to do this year.

Why not take a moment this Mother’s Day to anonymously do something nice for another mother? Not sure who to choose? Here’s a list of the moms you probably know who could use a little extra love this year:

• Single Moms
• Moms of Special Needs kids
• Moms of Multiples
• New Moms
• Grieving Moms – moms who have lost a mother or child in the last year
• Moms battling an illness
• Unsung Moms – those women who may not be biological moms, but who embrace the spirit of motherhood in all that they do, caring for others and/or who are pursuing motherhood via biological or adoptive means.

It doesn’t take a lot to make a mom feel special. We do most of what we do without asking for “ROI”. We don’t a card left in the mailbox, a bunch of flowers, a Starbucks card in a brand new mug, might be just the thing that makes that other Mother’s Day this year.

Which would totally make mine!

Got an idea about how to secretly gift another mom this year? Leave a suggestion in the comments. I’m still formulating my plan!

 Disclosure: This post has been compensated by Cozi Family in a grassroots effort to make Mother’s Day more awesome for others. I intend to use the money to pay it forward to another mom.