Ah, Mother's Day

Okay, so, I get Mother's Day. It is really not that hard to grasp the concept. My job as Daddy is to make sure that Mommy is happy on Mother's Day. I take all of the kiddos the week before the big day. I help them buy presents for Mom that are from the bottom of their hearts. I even help them make their own cards. I have this Daddy thing down. In fact, I have it ingrained in my psyche so much that I even know that I am supposed to do everything in my power to make sure that Lynley has as easy a day as possible.

I get it.

The kids, too. They know. I have branded it into their scheming little brains. This is Mom's Day. No fighting. No making messes. Today is about Mommy. Not you. That means being nice to each other, cleaning up after yourself, and doing everything in your power to help Mommy have a great day.

You see. I run a tight ship. Even though I am generally a complete failure at Valentines Day, I have Mother's Day down. I have got skills.

What I don't have is a wife that listens very well. She is supposed to be relaxing and enjoying. But, no, is that what she chose to do on Mother's Day? Of course, not. I wake up at 5:30 in the morning to find her mopping the floors and dusting the house. This, of course, was being done to a house that was neither dirty or dusty. I was not very successful at getting her to slow down. So, I did the next best thing. I emptied the dishwasher, cleaned out the recycling bin, and tried to look busy cleaning things whether they need it or not.

It, by the way, is very difficult to clean things that aren't dirty. I felt completely guilty and entirely stupid. There I was busily wiping down counters that were only dirtied because I sprayed Lysol on them. It felt goofy cleaning something that clearly did not need to be cleaned. I felt dirty. Regardless, she mopped the clean floor and I wiped down the clean counters and although it felt really awkward it, none the less, made her very happy - a sense of accomplishment I guess.

yYou should also know that I did not plan Mother's Day. It is supposed to be relaxed. But, other than that, I leave it to Lynley to lead us in whatever direction she wants to go. I am a smart enough husband to know that I can't read her mind. I also know her well enough to know that strict plans are not what she wants. She is looking for freedom.

So, we did what she wanted to do. We started with breakfast which was quick, but yummy. It was not at the house so there would be no clean up. It was also fast so we could get on the road to do all of the things that she wanted - like running errands.

Yes, you heard me again.

We took the dogs to the vet for some shots because, well, she wanted to. Then, we ran by Redbox to pick up a movie because, well, she thought that would be fun. Then, we shot to the grocery store because she wanted to go as a family instead of me going alone. We made it home just in time to put the groceries away and feed the kiddos "picnic style" before some family visited. By about 1:30, thoroughly exhausted, the house was clean, Graham and Ainsley were down for naps, the dogs were free of disease, and the groceries were shopped for. All that was left was to sit down and quietly watch a movie.

Being a professional at relaxing I had fallen asleep within about 15 minutes of the movie that she wanted to see. When I woke up I found the movie still playing and Lynley out in the yard cleaning out the flower beds.

That lasted until about 5:00 PM.

That evening we had my mother over and shish ka bobs for dinner.

At the end of the night I asked Lynley how her Mother's Day was.

She said it was nice but too busy. I was smart enough not to say a word.

I get Mother's Day but I don't know if I will ever understand mothers.

It just never gets out of their system.

They never stop being mothers. They overflow with purpose.