Mother (verb). Childbearing not required.

Today – Mother’s Day – is a difficult holiday for so many women.

It’s difficult, because society has traditionally put enormous pressure on women to show their value by spreading their legs, incubating a life, and then giving birth. And then once we’ve gone through the adequate number of hard labor hours to spew forth life, (don’t even think about having a C-section or drugs lest natural birth Nazis devalue your whole experience) we’re expected to turn into Cersei Lannister, supporting and defending our children, even when they’re vile little tyrants.

Don’t get me wrong, my intention is not to downplay motherhood in any way. Motherhood is a grueling, mostly thankless twenty-four-seven job for the rest of your life. And even when you do all you can, investing every cent available and pouring your heart and soul into your child, there’s no guarantee they won’t make some catastrophic decision that ruins their whole damn life.

How…