An Ode to Moms

From mom bloggers to the Real Housewives, how-to books to talk shows, “momagers” like Kris Jenner to celeb moms like Chrissy Teigen, we are bombarded daily with images of what a mom should look like, think like, act like, and accomplish. It can all be pretty overwhelming and make us feel hopelessly out of control when faced with the chaotic, imperfect nature of our own lives. But we live in the real world with real world challenges, and there’s no denying just how much work it really is.

So to all the moms out there, here’s to you and everything you do to keep things moving forward even when life gets messy:

• To the daily rush to the kitchen to get that pot of coffee brewing, or—when there’s no time for that—to the nearest Starbucks for a grande triple shot vanilla chai latte
• To the hundreds of sandwiches you’ve made and lunch bags you’ve packed over the years (Bonus points for cut off crusts!)
• To somehow getting your one, two, three or more kids to all of their practices, games, lessons, recitals, tutoring sessions, and probably more, on time—and then waking up and doing it all over again the next day
• To wrangling the kids out of the house in on time in order to pick up everyone in the carpool to beat the mad rush at school drop off
• To holding down a job and still finding quality time to spend with your kids
• To cooking dinner while simultaneously quizzing one child on his spelling words and snapping at the other two to stop arguing
• To spearheading your middle schoolers’ “group project” that’s due in a week and hosting the other prepubescent group members at your house
• To the thousands of pairs of socks you’ve folded over the years (and to the hundreds of singles that your washing machine apparently ate)
• To helping your children learn to pace their big school projects, all the while managing not to do them yourself
• To prioritizing time spent with your family over worrying about dishes in the sink or clutter in the family room
• To dozens of back to school nights, parent teacher conferences, PTA meetings and school fundraisers
• To understanding that a “Moms’ Nights Out” with the girls is an essential and vital part of motherhood
• To messy cars littered with stale French fries, CVS receipts, empty juice boxes and Dorito crumbs
• To coping with hyper youngsters, sassy middle schoolers and moody teenagers, all of whom think they know it all
• To setting rules and then enforcing them even though “no one else’s mom does!”
• To making it a priority to “date,” travel with and just enjoy being with your husband/partner—preferably without kids and with wine or your beverage of choice
• To trusting your gut and forgiving your mistakes
• To encouraging and supporting academic excellence while understanding your kids’ strengths and areas for growth
• To knowing when to hold your kids tight and when to let them fly
• To being your children’s greatest advocate and cheerleader, while still challenging them to get out of their comfort zone
• To maintaining a sense of humor even when adulting gets so hard, your laugh is more delirious than authentic
• To understanding that the phrase, “Mommy I need you,” will eventually change to, “Mom leave me alone,” and coming to terms with that inevitable shift

For all these reasons and hundreds more, we applaud and wish all our Synergy Academics moms a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Remember: Life doesn’t come with a manual. It comes with a mother.