For Mother's Day, we asked moms, stepmoms, and moms-to-be on our staff about what motherhood means to them and advice they give or wish they had received.

Here's what they had to say:

"Being a mother is discovering strengths you didn't know you had and dealing with fears you never knew existed." – Amber Schwartz
 

"Becoming a mom made me appreciate my own mother in unexpected ways. It really strengthened my bond with my mom, who has been my greatest encourager during my time as a new mom, when I've had to learn so much about how to nurture and care for a new life. There's a big culture of commiseration and complaining as moms, but the real key to contentment in motherhood is focusing on the positive and helping each other along."- Hadley Heath Manning
 

"When I heard people say, 'it goes by so fast', I believed them — and now I truly relish and appreciate every moment I get to spend with my babies. I'm all too aware that they won't be little for long and I'm thankful for even the hard moments with them." – Ericka Anderson
 

“I became a mom on the day I got married. Motherhood has challenged me to abandon selfishness and my personal agenda for the health and happiness of my husband and son. Life presented new challenges but greater meaning as a result.” – Patrice Lee Onwuka
 

"When I was first a mom, I often found myself thinking about how I'd be in the future:  Eventually I'll be the mom that does this or that.  But then I realized that my time as a mom was happening.  I needed to be the mom I wanted to be now.  I try not to judge myself against an idealized version of what a mom needs to do or be, but also make the most of the time I have. " – Carrie Lukas
 

"Remember, Moms, parenting should bring joy and laughter. There’s a lot of scary nonsense out there in today’s parenting culture. It can be tough to zero out this noise but do your best to worry less, trust your instincts, and enjoy the love children so willingly give." Julie Gunlock

"There is no one way to mom. At the end of the day, we all do what we can to protect, provide, and parent our children." – Victoria Coley

To all mothers, we wish you a Happy Mother's Day!

Did you know…

  • Mother's Day traces its roots to England in the 1600s. On a day called Mothering Sunday, servants would go "a-mothering" or visit their families and bring sweets to their mothers. 
  • The first Mother’s Day was organized by Anna Jarvis on May 10, 1908, in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She campaigned for Congress to officially recognize the holiday. It was signed into law in 1914.
  • 37 percent of first-time mothers (the largest share) were ages 20-24 years old in 2015.
  • Moms are spending more time in the labor force than in the past. Moms spent about 25 hours a week on paid work in 2016, compared with just nine hours in 1965.