What is motherhood? What does it mean to be a mother? These questions are as challenging to answer as they are simple. To give birth; yes, to adopt children; yes, to have a family; yes. But being a mother is also about much more than that, isn’t it? There’s some large, overwhelming, and beautiful piece at the center of motherhood that is so hard to put words to. It’s a feeling, not an explanation. Maybe that piece is best-called love. If so, it is truly a unique love reserved for the mother/child relationship. And when you’ve felt it, you know it.

Conversely, we know that motherhood isn’t always filled with joyful happy days. It’s also the hard days, late nights & early mornings, dirt-filled, emotional, stressful, and oftentimes hilarious work. It’s not for the faint of heart. We also know that being a mother is not limited to the one we call “mother”. Sometimes it’s a friend, an aunt, a grandmother, a stepmother, etc. that fills and enriches our lives in this manner.

To help recognize and celebrate these “mothers” in our lives this May 9th, we want to hear from you: “What does it mean to be a mother?” If you have a picture you would like to share with your words, you are welcome to do so as well. We plan to combine all the responses and share them on Mother’s Day.