To the Mom that Needs to Hear “Thank You”

I get it. I’m there with you. “Thank you” is not something often uttered your way.

Thank you for working day in and day out on everyone’s needs but your own. Thank you for constantly putting yourself second and I’m sorry you are rarely ever put first. Thank you for thinking of everyone else’s needs and making sure they are taken care of and generally happy and satisfied.

Thank you for reminding your kids of their responsibility. I know it feels like nagging. I know it feels like a worthless endeavor sometimes. In sha Allah they will thank you for it when they are older. In sha Allah they will see how you are directly responsible for a portion of their success. Thank you for not giving up.

Thank you for seeing the best in your family, even when they don’t see it in themselves. Thank you for seeing the best in your family, even after you’ve seen them at their worst. Thank you for forgiving them for their past mistakes and letting your opinion of them move on as they have moved on in life.

Even if no one says it out loud, or even recognizes it until you are gone, you play a big role. You are the glue of the family that holds all the pieces together. A woman has the flexibility to fill many roles as they are needed, and through life, this skill is put to the test.

Thank you for being patient when others weren’t. Thank you for still being there when others walked away. Thank you for being a pillar of the family when others wanted to crumble and fall. Thank you for being forgiving when others were not supportive when you needed to fall. I’m sorry to hear others don’t give much value to your outside activities. I’m sorry that having a break is not given priority. They probably don’t understand what it’s like.

What it’s like to be interrupted at any given moment because everyone else’s needs and wants come first, and are fulfilled by you. What it’s like to talk to someone with a vocabulary of only a few hundred words all day. What it’s like to nag incessantly for something to get done, then for them to take all the credit. All they see is you sitting on the couch taking a break, and wondering what’s so hard.

Thank you for taking that mental break for yourself and recharging. Thank you for reminding yourself it’s just a season of life.

Just, thank you.