Mama Mia

I once watched a cat go after a javelina. The javelina outweighed her many times over.

(This is a javelina.)

The javelina had large tusks, a nasty temper and other foul smelling javelina friends nearby. Yet, the little cat attacked the larger animal with reckless abandon, a hissing, yowling ball of teeth, claws, and furious fur. The javelina (and the javelina's friends) turned tail and hastily scuttled off, startled at the onslaught. The cat watched them run, her tail hair standing at full attention, an unearthly growl rising from the pits of her small being, until she was satisfied they were indeed gone. The javelina's transgression? Wandering too near her warm nest of tiny, mewling kittens.

Moms just have it deep within, whether they be animal or human. Nothing speaks stronger to a woman's soul than protecting, nurturing, and loving her children.

Some mom facts:

• There are 2 billion moms  in the world (82.5 million in the U.S.)
• The average age of new moms today is 25, vs. 21 in 1970
•  Currently moms average two kids in a lifetime (1950s: 3.5 kids; 1700s: 7-10 kids)
• 4.3 babies are born each second
•  Mrs. Vassilyev of Russia gave birth to 69 children between 1725 and 1765
•  Rosanna Dalla Corte gave birth to a baby boy when she was 63 years old in Italy in 1994
•  Signora Carmelina Fedele gave birth to a 22 lb 8 oz boy in Italy in 1955
• A mom will change 7,300 diapers by baby's second birthday
• Moms take 2 minutes, 5 seconds to change a single diaper (which adds up to three 40-hour work weeks each year!) , vs. 1 minute, 36 seconds for dads
•  Most moms multi-task in the bathroom. Reading is the most common activity, followed by talking on the phone, meditating, watching TV, drinking coffee, eating, and balancing the checkbook

My own mom is amazing. A kindergarten teacher for 37 years, she won countless awards and is still revered by the thousands of students she taught. Some have said they went into teaching exactly because of her. I did. She is an amazing cook and loves to prepare full family meals often. She is known for her generosity, warm heart, and love. I feel so blessed to have been born to and raised by her and I am still well loved by her.

Here's a salute to you moms who do the hard stuff everyday, amid the sleep deprivation, poopy diapers, spit up, endless laundry, teen angst, school, and all the other things that spice up motherhood. You don't have to have birthed a baby from your own body to be a mama. There are plenty out there who have done the work of a mother, stepping in and loving with a mother's heart where it is needed. 

I am so blessed to be a mom to two amazing daughters. I can't imagine not being a mom.

Give a shout out to your own mom/grandma/female nurturer in your life, or other terrific moms you know. Let us hear about her in the comments!

Happy Mother's Day!