How Many Moms Do You Know With A Day Named After Them??
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How Many Moms Do You Know With A Day Named After Them??

What do bubble baths, ice cream for breakfast, high-fives, talking like a pirate and walking on stilts all have in common??? 

They each have a special day designated for celebrating them.  Seriously, did you know that there’s a “Walking on Stilts Day” and a “What if Cats and Dogs had Opposable Thumbs Day?”  

But even in light of all of this information, I was still a little stunned at the reaction my kids gave me when I told them that I had been given a day!

I am speaking on September 22nd at a fundraising gala called “Celebration of Life” for the Women’s Resource Center in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  I am so honored and excited to have been invited to speak at the event – in front of over 500 people.  And words cannot even begin to describe how touched and thrilled I was when I received an email that the mayor and city council had issued a proclamation that Sept. 22, 2011 would officially be “Blythe Newsome Day.”  

I smiled the entire way home from work thinking, “I have a day!”  I was sure my children would share in my joy and excitement. I mean, how many kids can say that their mom has a day named after them?

I threw the front door open and hollered for the kids to come quick because I had some great news.  They came bolting from every direction, anxious to see what the excitement was about. 

“Mom, did you get us a puppy?” asked my son.

“Did you bring us ice cream?” asked another. 

“No, it’s so much better than a puppy or ice cream!” I said.

“You better not be having a baby” said one of my daughters.

I needed to speed this up because I could feel myself losing a little of my “happy mommy glow.” With excitement in my voice (the kind I use when I’m trying to convince myself that we ARE having fun), I said, “Kids, I am having a day named after me!  It will be ‘Blythe Newsome Day’ on September 22nd!!!  Isn’t that great?”

Total silence.   Then it started.

“So are you like the Easter Bunny?” said my six year old.

 “Do we get presents?” asked my eight year old.

My 12 year old was quick to add, “The only people I know that have a day named after them are dead.” 

I’m not feeling the excitement anymore, and and at this point they were laughing.

I said to them, “you know, I bet your friends would be impressed if their moms got a day!  This is really cool, you guys.  I HAVE A DAY!!!”

(More laughter.)

I decided to take a minute and go to the bathroom.  That was the moment I realized that we didn’t have any more toilet paper, paper towels or paper napkins (let the truth be out there, when I am out of toilet paper and don’t have time to go to the store we resort to paper towels and napkins.  There are five girls living in my house…it happens!).  Suddenly I’m not the mom having a day named after her, but the crabby mom making a point.

“Okay kids, if you can’t help me keep a list of what we need at the store before we hit the desperation point, then we are really going to the store together RIGHT NOW so maybe it will jog your memory of things we are running low on!” 

Why is it when I try to be serious, they giggle?

We got in the car and pulled up in the parking lot of the grocery store.  As we were getting out of the car, the kids handed me a name tag necklace that Finn had worn the first week of school so he wouldn’t get lost.  They said, “We love you Mom, and this will make you feel special.”

Aww…they do get it.  I’m such a lucky mom.  I happily put my name tag on and we all went into the store.  I’m sure that it says “World’s Greatest Mom” or something like that and so I proudly to wear the nametag, that was lovingly made for me by my kids.  I decided to admire it while waiting in the check-out line. 

Do you know what they wrote?  “I am Freakin VIP!!!”  Stunned, I turned to look at their grinning faces.  One of them pipes up and said, “We thought maybe someone would think you were important and let you go to the front of the line!”  They burst out laughing; I removed my name tag and tried not to laugh myself. 

Sure, I am excited and honored to have a day named after me.  But after doing a little more research on all the crazy days that have been named before me, case in point – “Talk like a Pirate Day,” I realized that my life is not summed up by one day, but by the many days. Good days and bad days, funny days and sad days that are my life as a mom with six kids.

But please feel free to celebrate “Blythe Newsome Day” on September 22nd and be sure and tell my kids that you did!

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