My motherhood T-shirt is better than your motherhood T-shirt…

I do my share of complaining. One thing you’ll never hear me complain about, however, is being a mother.

Just as I would never groan about being a wife or daughter or sister, I will never whine about having the chance to parent.

Even on the hardest days, I feel honored and blessed to be the mother of two extraordinary children. And I don’t want them ever to think I am unhappy to be their mother.

The other day a co-worker was telling me about a T-shirt he had seen. He wanted to get my reaction–though I’m sure he knew what I would say.

On the front: Motherhood: The Ultimate Endurance Sport.

On the back: Being a Mom is like running a marathon. Every. Single. Freaking. Day.

Seriously?

Just imagine if your spouse wore a shirt that said: “Marriage: The Ultimate Endurance Sport.” How would that make you feel?

Besides, when did motherhood become entirely focused on the mother, rather than on the children? And where are the fathers? Cheering from the sidelines? Handing off a water bottle at mile 24?

So setting that shirt aside, let’s consider instead what other shirts we might like to wear that would celebrate motherhood–and not make our children feel that they are a nuisance.

We could go with something simple:


Or something more inclusive:


We could go with inspiring:


Or a bit more spiritual:


Maybe we should just stick with straightforward:

Or take the focus off mom entirely:


Some mothers might like to answer the “My! Your hands are full!” comment proactively with:


And some of us might prefer to go with a bit of harmless humor:


We could always play to our competitive side:


Or just take a practical approach:

 
As for me, I think I need this one:


Now it’s your turn. What would you put on your motherhood T-shirt? I’d love to know!

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The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

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