Did ya know?

“Moms in this country are way undervalued – Mothers make 73 cents to every dollar an equally qualified man makes at the same job – Single mothers make only about 60 cents to a man’s dollar – Those two facts, it should be noted, really suck – especially because men aren’t making much these days either – Over a lifetime mothers are paid anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million less than men doing the same work due to gender wage disparity. That’s a ridiculous “Mommy Tax.” A full quarter of US families with children less than 6 years old live in poverty – Well duh, all these other statistics would lead to this likely outcome – Motherhood is one of the hardest full-time jobs that does not come with Social Security or health benefits – It does however come with a lot of labor as well as love.”

I am nearly a week late in getting this post up but I was out of town on Mother’s Day for a weekend of Dance Competitions with my little Addison. I wanted to share the above message though and let all mothers out there know that I think you are amazing. I respect you greatly and although we may not always be paid for our hard work….it is a HUGELY IMPORTANT task that we are doing.

I am not always the best mom. Sometimes, I get too fired up. Sometimes I yell too loud. Sometimes, I say “Just a Minute” a minimum of 50 times a day. Sometimes, I am a pseudo-listener. Sometimes, I am too stubborn, too controlling, and too much of a perfectionist. Sometimes, I think I am going crazy. Sometimes I feel over-worked and under-appreciated. Sometimes I don’t cook enough. Sometimes I am too busy documenting everyone else’s family besides my own. Sometimes, I work too long at the studio. Sometimes I lose my PEACE. Sometimes I say bad words. Sometimes my expectations are too high. But one thing is very very clear. My children know that I absolutely LOVE and ADORE them more than anything in the world. They know that I am proud of who they are. They know that I would throw myself in front of a train to save them and give them my right kidney if I had to. They know that I went through H#* to get them here. They know that I am a very hard worker. They know that I am pretty good at making something out of nothing. They know that I would give up anything to make their life better. They know that I will always provide for their needs. They know that I kiss them at least 10-100 times a day depending on the day. They know all these things and much much more. I love being a mom! It completes me and makes me WHO I AM. You cannot put a price on that. I hope all of you moms out there had an amazing Mother’s Day. I took a rain check for mine due to being out of town and plan to redeem it very very soon. I was going to talk a bit about my own mother here but she deserves her VERY OWN POST. She always wanted her very own POST. I am just sorry that she is no longer here to see it but she is looking down, watching over us, and living the GOOD LIFE now. I MISS YOU TERRIBLY MOM!

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all of my friends, family, clients, those of you who are no longer with us and those of you who read this blog. God Bless You!

~Niki