What do you say about moms on Mother’s Day? Better yet, what can you say that hasn’t already been said every year since its inception? Seriously! Slightly more than half of everything we are is thanks to you! What do you say to someone who wasn’t just there for your big moments, but created every moment you’ve had or ever will have?

How is that even fair for us as children? Like, yeah, I’m eternally grateful to you. Here’s some government incentivized flowers and a decent brunch. You know what’s really janky, though, Moms? You don’t even get a day off!

Presidents get a day off. Independence gets a day off. We go all out for the Founding Fathers – even the banks are closed! You know it’s a big deal when America shuts off access to its own money. But what about the Founding Mothers?

Good ol’ Mary Washington’s trying to keep the family cherry trees around a little longer while raising that boy to be a war hero and decent leader of a new country, and what does she get? An average Sunday. Maybe Augustine did the dishes that day. Maybe. Real cool, guys! But I digress.

Here’s something I think is really interesting. Parenting is always a choice. Intentionally rearing the next generation how you believe they should be raised (hopefully based on some data or other solid insight) is something every parent has to wake up and decide to do every morning. That’s big.

The church I grew up in did something special on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. And as someone who genuinely thinks their parents did the best anyone could, I think this is great. They would rename the days.

In many cases, it’s so easy to become a parent. One mistake can make two parents. Birth is how you become a mother or a father. But actually caring for a new life like it’s the most tender, important thing in the world is what makes you a mommy or a daddy. That’s what’s important. That’s what makes Mommy’s Day and Daddy’s Day so special.

I’m eternally indebted to my mom. There’s no way around it. Yes, I’m super thankful. Yes, of course I love her. Yes, she’s absolutely incredible. But it’s not like one day and a small gift is going to be any kind of equalizer. It’s not like one meal of celebration a year makes all the work and worry of being a mom worth it.

Being a mom, as my finite brain tries to understand it, is so much bigger than that! It always will be. Isn’t that worth more than just one Sunday? Can’t we actively give credit where credit is due, more than just once a year?