Happy Mother's Day

The past couple of Mother's Days have been pretty hard for me. My own mother died in 2008, just a few months after I had a miscarriage. So Mother's Days served as a reminder that not only was I not a mother, I didn't have a mother. (Not to throw a pity party here because plenty of people have similar losses.)

This year will be my first Mother's Day as a mommy. And even though I've only been a mommy for about three weeks, I appreciate my own mother now more than ever.

My mom and dad with their first son

Mom taught me so many things, among them:

• Make sure your son knows that no matter how big he gets, you can still beat his bottom.
• You can make all kinds of arts and crafts with egg cartons and dish soap bottles.
• Mealtime is family time.
• Inner strength is greater than (but also equal to) physical beauty.
• Love your children unconditionally.
• Support your kids' clubs and causes, including (but not limited to) Scouts, bake sales and concerts and sporting events of every kind.
• The best memories are made at the simplest times -- around a game board, making Christmas treats together, staying for the next showing of a movie so you can watch it one more time.

Me with my son

I can only hope to be as good a mother as my mom was. And I can only hope Milo loves me half as much as my brothers and I loved -- and still love -- our mom.