Mother's Day stress

Mother's Day is supposed to be a day of remembering and being thankful for moms. It should be relaxing.

But here I am, the evening before Mother's Day, feeling as if my chest is about to explode.

Why, you ask?

Because I want it to be perfect; but at the same time I don't want us to start the summer financially tight (being a teacher, the summers can be very tight).

Last Mother's Day was a treat. Josh and the kids took me to my favorite art museum in DC, and then we took our moms to Normandie Farms...which was beyond overpriced, but nice.

We can't top that. Not this year.

But when it was suggested that we do something low-key... like just visiting each mother and giving them their present... I knew it wouldn't fly. I knew it.

Even if it meant spending some special quality time with each mother and sharing a cake or something like that (hell, I would be fine with that).

I knew it wouldn't fly.

I was right.

Of course my mother-in-law was fine with it. Or so she said at least. My mother sounded disappointed, but didn't say anything.

Nope. My father called. Of course. And told me exactly what he thought about it.

"Just one day a year to THANK her for ALL SHE DOES and you plan WHAT???"

Thanks for understanding, Dad. Really, like I don't feel like shit as it is, thank you.

So now we are doing a barbecue at our house, and I need to play hostess and we need to buy pink napkins and pink plates and get flowers and clean the house and we need to figure out a menu and then a dessert... and should there be music in the background or not? We need to go to the grocery store and make everything perfect.

Because it's one day out of the year to PROVE YOUR WORTH, right? Every other day of saying "Thank you" and "I love you" and "You're awesome, you know that?" that all means shit obviously because Hallmark says so.

It has to be THIS ONE DAY and it has to be SOOOOO SPECIAL because if not, then you are an ungrateful shit.

Thanks, commercialism, you rock. Thank you so much for adding more stress to our daily life. I couldn't have survived without you.

So here I am just trying to breath and wondering if this is what a heart attack feels like because I keep blacking out, and wondering how can I make tomorrow BE SPECIAL. Because obviously going to their house and saying it and giving them a present and a hug and a kiss and telling him how special they are... well, it means nothing without the bling.

And of course I'm sure I'll hear about the present too. "What, no jewelry?"

Thankfully, it's only once a year.