What We're Really Honoring When We Celebrate Mother's Day

Mother’s Day. Wonderful, complex...and sometimes fraught. Maybe it reminds you of your mother, of your children, of your desire to have children, or your desire not to. This is a day of complicated emotions. But while the day isn’t as simply sunny as our Instagram feeds make it out to be, it’s a day of recognizing nurturing and love.

In awareness of that wide spectrum of experiences, on mbg today we have stories of what motherhood means, the struggle to become a mother, the pain of loss that can come along with Mother’s Day, as well as a celebration of the wisdom of mothers of all types and ages.

We're lucky to live in an age when the definition of mothers is as broad and inclusive as it ever has been. Which made us wonder: What exactly is a mother now? Perhaps it’s time to think of a mother as the place where a children’s cry is comforted, a 2 a.m. phone call is answered, and unconditional love is given freely. Maybe that love takes the form of a biological birth mother; maybe it’s the adult who was always there for you; maybe it’s the circle of people who lift you up when you’ve fallen down. A mother isn’t defined by a gender, an orientation, or a DNA test but by the love they give, mending hearts and strengthening souls.

Whatever you call that spirit—the nurturer, the divine feminine—that combination of strength and softness is something we celebrate today.

So today, take care of yourself if the day brings with it heartache, and give thanks to those who nurture, whoever they are.