Plain and simple, moms rock!
They do so much, they give so much, they teach us so much, 24/7, 365 days a year. Their collective compassion and common sense is enough to make the world a way better place. So, never miss an opp to say, "Thanks, Mom. I love you," especially on Mother's Day itself, which is Sunday, May 10. And to convey that grateful, loving feeling in visual form, you know you can count on flowers to do the job.
But there are sooo many Mother's Day flowers to choose from (that's a good thing, but still ...). And motherhood has evolved so much since the days of June Cleaver or Marion Cunningham that today there's no such thing as a typical mom (that's an even better thing ...).
So to make your shopping easy, Teleflora has launched a fun shopping guide to help you buy flowers for Mother's Day. The kinds of moms include Classic Moms, Super Moms, Stylish Moms, Down-to-Earth Moms, Gourmet Moms, Modern Moms and of course Grandmothers. We know not everyone fits easily into a category, but it's nice to have a little guidance when choosing which bouquet best suits her unique personality.
In conjunction with launching the guide, I thought it would be fun to profile some real-life moms, who also run blogs, and talk to them about motherhood. I've read their answers already, of course, and I'm very excited to introduce you to some smart, funny, eminently capable and pretty amazing women. Check out their answers, visit their blogs and if you know an amazing mom or two, drop me a line and tell me about her.
First up is Modern Mom Christine Koh. Christine is a music and brain scientist turned freelance writer, editor, and designer. She is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas, the designer behind Posh Peacock, and writes a personal blog at Pop Discourse. She resides in the Boston area with her husband and 4-year-old daughter. Her blogs can be found at: http://www.bostonmamas.com, http://www.poshpeacock.com, http://popdiscourse.com.
Five Minutes with a Modern Mom
Q What was the biggest surprise for you as a mom?
A I was surprised by how generous motherhood made me -- not just towards my daughter (which was something I had anticipated) but towards other people in my life. I'm a generous person in lots of ways, but also can be very protective of my time.
Laurel's healthy arrival (after a somewhat traumatic delivery) really knocked things into perspective for me in terms of how very tremendous life is -- the miracle of it in general, and how fortunate I am for the relationships I have in the now.
For example, this played out in an inter-generational context in a significant way; Laurel was 4 months old when my dad was diagnosed with cancer -- we learned of the diagnosis literally the weekend before I was scheduled to return to work full time from maternity leave.
I talked the situation over with my husband, then immediately called my boss and told him I was only coming back to work part-time (with an eventual plan to ramp up back to full time later in the year).
It was a move I doubt I would have made pre-motherhood; reduced time is frowned upon in academia because the publication clock is always ticking. On the one hand, I was surprised by how quickly and dramatically my role as a mom changed my perspective; in other ways it felt totally natural and intuitive. And it was incredible to be able spend so much time with my parents and Laurel; my dad died 7 months later -- I miss him tremendously but feel very much at peace about our relationship.
Q Tell me about a challenge or a tough choice you made as a mom.
A Honestly, no challenges or tough choices in the traditional sense come to mind. But what has been weighing on me a lot is privilege. We don't live extravagantly but we live well and have all the basics we need. And so do those around us for the most part. But my growing up was not like this; I'm the 6th of 7 children and didn't even really know that toys existed until I received my first stuffed animal when I was 5, after I got my tonsils out.
I want to instill in Laurel the understanding that we are truly blessed to have what we have in our lives and shouldn't take it for granted - but in a way that makes sense and is reasonable for a 4 year old. Essentially, my challenge is to translate these messages without unfairly loading my personal childhood baggage on my daughter.
Q What is your favorite piece of parenting advice and how did you acquire it?
A Trust your instincts. It wasn't until I became a mother, actually, that I suddenly started having really strong instinctual reactions. And I found that things worked so much better when I followed - instead of resisted - my instincts. So I started trusting my instincts in other areas of my life other than motherhood -- even when from a rational, linear perspective the choices didn't make sense. Following my instincts has served me enormously well both in personal and professional ways.
Q What’s the greatest gift you could give your child?
A Unconditional acceptance and support. I spent so many years of my childhood and adulthood constrained into boxes laden with expectation; most notably as a violinist (I studied for 20 years, performed solo recitals, etc.) and as an academic (I earned my Ph.D. then did my postdoctoral fellowship at Mass General Hospital/Harvard Medical School/MIT). When I let go of both of those trajectories, particularly the academic path, I felt very certain I was making the right move (this is where the aforementioned instincts came into play) but of course I was wondering about the expectations of the "grown ups" in my life.
At the point when I was making my major professional leap, my father was gone; I'm not sure whether his passing contributed to her response, but my mother gave me the best gift she could ever give me: her blessings and encouragement to do what brought me joy. I want to give that same gift to my daughter; I want her to follow her passions, even if it means swimming against the tide at times.
Q As a Modern Mom, you typically have a very full plate and are juggling a number of different jobs. What’s your favorite way to de-stress and recharge?
A There are three major things that help me de-stress and recharge. The first is a night out with my husband. I am so grateful to have such a fantastic, thoughtful, and funny partner in life and we need our nights out as grownups.
Second is time with my girlfriends. I'm blessed to have a lot of amazing girlfriends in the area, some who reach back as far as elementary and middle school. They are my confidantes and have accepted me through all the good and bad. And third is self care in the form of exercise and occasional massages and pedicures. The former I do regularly, the latter I wish I did more regularly!
