An Ode to Moms Dear moms, You get one day a year?! This is one of the most criminal things about our society. If we paid you proper homage, Mom's would hold higher esteem than pro sports players and movie stars. You don't ask for the praise. You go about your daily sacrifices for their own sake, not for any recognition or appreciation. You grind. You toil. And we barely seem to take notice. Well I notice. The following is my small attempt at giving you the appreciation you deserve. You Get No Credit The real reason you go unnoticed is because we take you for granted. We'd rather extol things like career success, political power and even follower counts, over you. Being a mom in this day and age has become a second-rate occupation. It is the furthest thing from glamourous, and it certainly won't get you invited to Career day at your kid's school. If I ask a room full of 2nd graders "what do you want to be when you grow up?" sadly, one of the last thing y...
One of the best things about having 13 kids is watching people's reactions when you tell them for the first time. The reactions range from a sincere "That's incredible!" to "DID YOU SAY 10?!? to "You need to learn to keep your legs shut" (that's a real quote) and everything in between. Most people are kind, albeit surprised. But I've found if someone is going to be rude, it's going to be in the first few moments they find out- mostly as a visceral reaction, before they've had time to assess the social awkwardness their comment is going to cause. Good thing Laura and I have heard it all! This happened to me a few weeks ago. I was with a group of people which included someone I'd never met before when my buddy introduced me as "This is my buddy Pelar, he's got 12 kids". (Thanks for the solid intro) "Wait... are you Serious", was the initial response. Followed quickly by... "Bro... don't you know how t...