Mother’s Day

I love this picture of The Red Dog, with a new batch of baby chickens, particularly her Eastwood-esque squint. I can just imagine her saying, “Go ahead, make my day” to any who dared touch her charges. She’s the epitome of motherhood: tolerant, tender, AND ferocious—never mind that she’s not their biological mother.

I once read an interview with a famous Romance author, who said that her characters were all orphans, because she wanted them to be utterly alone except for each other. I can see that might have some appeal for drama, but though my own stories are Romances, they do have strong themes about family. The characters’ relationships are varied, however, from Nicole’s prim and proper mother in Helios, to Sapphira, Konstantinos’ housekeeper/mother stand-in. Sarah Ann’s mother is toxic in New Heights, and part of her arc is overcoming that. Theresa in Hard Truths has to come to terms with a difficult mother, as does Hope in A Boy & his Dog.

On the other hand, Carlos’ mother is wonderful, and in Submerged Hopes, Nick loves his as well, though she’s not entirely who he thinks she is. In the same story, Nerissa lives with her well-meaning but overbearing aunt.

In some of my novels, the mother figure is a grandmother, like Farrah’s in Finders, Keepers, or Tricia’s in Fly Boy, and though gone, they still have weight and impact, like Nerissa’s long-gone mother in Submerged Hopes. I still hear my mother’s words every day, and found myself using those same phrases to my own kids, like “You need to find another way to have fun” when they decided to throw sticks at a hornet’s nest.

I don’t like “cookie-cutter” Romance, nor “cookie-cutter” families. Real life is messy, with even the best mothers, and however heartwarming and rewarding it can be, childrearing is a huge, daunting responsibility, for which many aren’t emotionally or financially prepared, and some children are difficult, at least on occasion. Our age of interconnectedness on social media can be both blessing and curse, with all the advice, thinly-veiled judgment, and posts about others’ Perfect Children. It’s tough out there in the trenches!

Mother’s Day can be hard for some, for whom that chance never materialized. And some people didn’t get the mom they deserved, so my stories strive to show hope, healing, and reconciliation if possible, but also that sometimes, the hard truth is that some relationships cannot be salvaged. Yet found family can help fill the holes.

I had a fantastic mother, but am I a perfect one myself? Alas, no. I only hope my kids know that I have always done my best.

Here’s to all who are bringing up the next generation, those who’ve struggled through despite no mother or a Mommy Dearest, and to all the great moms out there, past and present, whether biological or acquired!