Smartmom has so many mothers. This year, she sent cards to her mother, her stepmother, her mother-in-law, her sister, and Beautiful Smile, the housekeeper and so much more.
What would she do without all her mothers? Each one is unique; each one has something special to offer.
And with good reason; there’s no need to get all your mothering from one person. Spread it around and you get all kinds of mother-love from the women in your life.
On Sunday, Manhattan Granny came out to Park Slope for a brunch of smoked salmon, trout, whitefish salad and pumpernickel bread from Blue Apron Foods.
Wearing an Agnes B. T-shirt, white pants and an elegant designer jacket, Manhattan Granny looked like a million bucks. She listened to Teen Spirit play a few of his own songs on the guitar in the dining room.
“He’s Dylanesque,” Manhattan Granny told Smartmom. “I’m very proud of him.”
Diaper Diva, Bro-in-law and Ducky joined them for brunch. Bro-in-law brought bunches of peonies, roses, and lilacs for the moms in attendance. Thoughtfully, Diaper Diva gave Smartmom a gift certificate for a Diva manicure at the new Dashing Diva salon on Seventh Avenue.
Oops. Smartmom forget to get Diaper Diva a gift. Sure, she’s not her mother. But the sisters love to fete each other on Mother’s Day.
Even before she became a mother, Smartmom gave Diaper Diva Mother’s Day cards and gifts for her prowess as a world-class aunt.
After brunch, Bro-in-law slept on the couch, Manhattan Granny shined Smartmom’s wedding silver, Diaper Diva cleaned Smartmom’s kitchen.
What would Smartmom do without her moms?
Later in the day, it was time to visit with her stepmom, MiMa Cat and Groovy Grandpa at their 27th floor Brooklyn Heights apartment with the great view of New York Harbor.
The Oh So Feisty One came up with the name MiMa Cat when she was just 2-years-old because the beloved (now deceased) cat, Rupert. Now they have a huge Persian Tiger named Raj.
MiMa Cat showed Smartmom the pink flower arrangement that Smartmom and Diaper Diva had sent from Park Florist. She seemed touched by their gift.
Smartmom isn’t sure when she started recognizing her stepmother on Mother’s Day. Ah, the seesaw life of the divorced child: Smartmom used to think it was some kind of weird betrayal of her mother to acknowledge her stepmother on Mother’s Day.
She wasn’t even sure if MiMa Cat wanted to be acknowledged. But that was then, this is now. Smartmom and MiMa Cat are closer than ever and she loves her very much: stepmothers deserve to be honored on Mother’s Day.
When Smartmom got home, Hepcat called his mother, Artsy Grandma, who lives on a farm in Northern California. He caught her on her cellphone on her way into San Francisco to spend the day with Hepcat’s sister and brother-in-law.
They wished her a happy Mother’s Day, asked about her garden and her building projects and told her to come visit. Soon.
That night, Smartmom called Beautiful Smile. She is the unconditional mother everyone needs; the nurturing grandmother who soothes you when you’re feeling down; and the caregiver that her children, even at age 11 and 16, love to be around. Her spirit of love and kindness infuses their Third Street apartment like Buddhist air freshener.
She’d spent the day in Coney Island being honored and feted by her children, her grandchildren and other friends and family.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” Smartmom told her.
That night when Smartmom got into her pajamas, she realized that her Mother’s Day was mostly about everyone else — buying the brunch, setting the table, shuttling to MiMa Cat’s, the cards, the gifts, the phone calls. She’d told Hepcat not to buy her anything.
“I feel like we’re hemorrhaging money,” she’d said.
Teen Spirit apologized because he never got around to getting her a gift.
“Oh that’s all right, I’m just glad you’re here,” she told him. OSFO gave her a nice card. But everything was okay. She didn’t feel sad. Not at all. She felt buoyed by the love of all the mothers in her life.
Mother’s Day is for the moms — all of them. It takes a mother to make a mother happy on Mother’s Day.
