Flowers, chocolates, cards, cooking dinner… whatever we choose to give our mothers today it’s the thought behind it that counts. Mums do and look after so much, yes we do deserve to be treated. But I know what makes me happier than any treat in itself, is the appreciation and recognition behind the gift…

On a good day, mums are our superheroes.

• They can do everything – juggle nappies, lunchboxes, bank accounts, utility bills, bottles, remote controls, vacuum cleaners, paintbrushes and emails while phoning the plumber, turning junk into money on ebay, separating the baby’s pudding from his hair, scoring the winning goal and all while the fridge stays miraculously stocked with fresh food that can easily be thrown together to make proper meals.
• They know everything – where the biscuit tin is, what time the butchers close, when the lamb needs to come out of the oven, how to interpret fifteen different types of cries, how to feed an army on a shoestring, secret ways of hiding veg in tasty food, everybody’s birthdays and phone numbers and the difference between Dettol and Dentinox, Sudafed and Sudocreme.
• They are everywhere – in the kitchen, at the shops, dropping off daddy’s forgotten report, at the Wacky, doing the school run, out in the garden separating the latest ruckus, diffusing family dramas, being Aunty Mabel’s shoulder to cry on, educating Uncle Frank on the finer art of flattery and on the net helping the kids research Egyptian mummies.

On a bad day, mums burn their hand on the oven, drop the phone in the casserole, stub their toe, trip over the dog and land on a pile of stickle bricks, pull a muscle retrieving the car keys from the back of the fridge and still appear in a flash just when we need them, wrap us up in love and plasters and magic our scraped knees and bogeymen away and put us back on top of the world again.

Today

Today for me is about celebrating the good days and the bad days, appreciating a role that is even more rewarding than it is overwhelming, as impossible as that may seem at times, and to quote a phrase brilliantly put by Marion Ryan, a role that I fulfil as “a good enough mum most of the time with intermittent lapses into brilliance and hopelessness”.

In particular, I’m thankful for, in awe of and inspired by:

• My mum, who nurtured the best in me and endured the worst of me, who taught me the value of people and friendship, being kind and caring, and continues to inspire me with her amazing capacity for patience and serenity. Thanks mum, love you.
• My sister in law, who, in the face of extreme adversity never fails to display such strength as a mother, in the way she puts her kids first, provides for them, believes in them and forges such strong bonds. Julie you’re an inspiration, thank you.
• An amazing woman I was reminded of today when some girls performed a dance at church to the song Butterfly. She regularly opened her house to a horde of teenage kids on a Friday evening and created such a warm, inviting, open and safe place for us to come and meet God. I continue to be amazed at the openness and faith it must have taken to do that. Linda, wherever you are, thank you.

In the spirit of appreciation, hubby also deserves a special mention today for rallying our son and nephews together, making brownies in the morning and dinner later on tonight and taking the initiative on naps and nappies.