Single Moms & Adoptive Moms & Want to be Mothers

I was reading my Facebook page the other day when I saw the link about my friend Lilly who became a mother after 17 years! She and her husband adopted two boys from India.(You can read the article here, but only if you can read Finnish.) Last summer when I arrived in Finland, they were just leaving to get their boys, and a few days before I left to come home, Lilly and husband came home with their boys. Definitely a joyous moment.

Another one of my friends had posted about her son competing in the International Culinary Competition in France.(He got the 12th spot.) Years ago, when I first met Tuula, she was a single mother raising her son on her own. Today she is rejoicing in her son's success in the international culinary world.

Two special days are also approaching: Valentines's Day and three months later Mother's Day. Both can be equally hard for those who do not have the required ingredient in order to share and celebrate the day's activities.
Take, for example, Valentines' Day: In America, this day is all about romance! Not about friendships, but romance. What about if you are a single and not currently in a romantic relationship? You better not go out for dinner that night intending to relax with a good book while eating at your favorite restaurant. Take out is definitely a better option for that day.
BUT, couldn't we celebrate friendships? You know, the ones that often last much longer than the romantic relationships.

What about Mother's Day? (And yes, I know I am a bit early with this one.) My heart goes out to my teaching colleagues who are trying to start their families while watching others accomplish the same without even really trying. I am also thinking about my friends who decided that they will wait until they are married, but the marriage has not happened, and now it is too late for biological children. What do you say to someone whose greatest desire is to become a mother, but it is not happening? How do you comfort your friends?

I don't have any answers, however, I would like to say thank you for all the single mothers! Thank you for staying strong when life was hard. Thank you for being a mother even it was almost too much. Thank you for giving your children a better future by mothering them no matter what.

And thank you, to all of you who have adopted children! Maybe you did not become a mother by chance; but you became a mother by choice! I want to celebrate you this week of the Valentine's Day. You have chosen to love a child! What better gift could anyone give to a child.

Here is my thank you to everyone who loved a child today! Whether it is your own, your student, your niece or grandchild, or your neighbor's child; thank you for loving a child today!