How Moms Can Turn Labor Day Into a Labor of Love
Anyone who knows me, knows I love a holiday. Any holiday.
I’m just as likely to break out the decorations for Groundhog Day as I am for Halloween. You’ll always find me ready for a celebration no matter if it’s Flag Day, the First Day of Spring, Cinco de Mayo, Black Friday or National Pancake Day. But when it comes to Labor Day, I get a little conflicted.
I think it’s because I’m hung up on the name.
Labor Day reminds me of doing laundry, cooking dinner, nursing a sick child with fever or burning the midnight oil to help out with homework. Maybe moms should call this holiday “Labor of Love Day” instead.
After doing a little research on the history of Labor Day, I learned that it differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. When you think about it, many other non-religious holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s dominance over one another, of strife and discord for greed and power, or of glories achieved by one nation over another. But “Labor Day” is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.
Dedicated in honor of the worker, the Labor Day holiday is traditionally a celebration in respect and appreciation for the work you do in or outside of the home, union or non-union, big company, small companies, or government. As long as you work somewhere at something, this holiday is for you! That means it’s especially a celebration for moms, because they happen to be the hardest working people on the planet!
Photo: Carla Meadows
My friends and I treated ourselves to a little pampering at the Body Harmony Day Spa in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.
That’s why I’m ready to start doing some holiday double-dipping and deem “Labor Day” as our second “Mother’s Day.” I mean since we “labor” to give birth and then continue to “work” on raising our families, while juggling a whole host of other responsibilities, should rightfully rank as another occasion to give mom chocolates and flowers, treat her to nice dinner and cough up multiple gift cards to the spa.
Okay, so I might be kidding just a little. But moms, let’s try to celebrate this Labor Day by doing a Labor of Love just for ourselves.
On Monday, September 5 try to commit some precious “me time” to do something you enjoy this holiday. It could be as simple as finishing that book on your nightstand, getting a mani-pedi, going for a run, or having coffee with a friend.
Even though you might be heading out to that last picnic of the summer or debating between making the potato salad or the coleslaw for the pot luck – just carve out a few minutes and do something intentional to put “you” back on the priority list and create a little Labor of Love for that wonderful woman in the mirror.
As for me, I plan to celebrate Labor Day by living a little on the wide side by daring to wear my white shoes on Tuesday, September 6.
Carla Meadows is a Dallas wife and mom of two slightly over-scheduled teens and a lovable golden retriever who writes about building intentional family moments through the wonders of travel at home and across the U.S. in her blog, Mommys Minivan Monologues. She’s also a frequent contributor to Sirius XM Radio; The Dallas Morning News; The Dallas Weekly; The Oklahoman/NewsOK; KXAS-TV NBC 5; and In the Loop Kids with reviews on products, destinations and attractions.You can follow Carla on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
