I don't want flowers for Mother's Day

Here's what I really want

Mother’s day is upon us and the ads are filling the airwaves, reminding partners, children and family to shower Mom with flowers, brunch, massage gift cards and lots of jewelry.

This isn’t really groundbreaking, but we don’t want really want all of that, what we really want is a (“Feminonimon!”, no but for real) world we can raise our children in that has clean air to breath, fresh water to drink and bathe in, we want to send our kids to schools without fear they’ll get shot or have to hide in closets from people with guns. We want our LGBTQ+ loved ones to feel safe in this world to be who they are, we want their light shining not dimmed.

We want our parents to have the care they need as they get older, and we want healthcare that we can afford and is easy to access.

We want reproductive rights so we can have children safely and so those that don’t can choose their own path in life.

We want equal pay and paid family leave, we want to be able to take care of our kids when they’re home sick from school and breastfeed when we are back in the office. We want maternity leave that will allow us to recover without the stress of the rushed return to work.

We want habeas corpus and due process, we want free speech and the right to protest without fear. We want libraries full of books and park rangers in our national parks. We want our neighbors to feel safe and our federal workers back in their jobs. We want to be able to afford groceries and not worry about our retirement.

We want to stop waking up to terrifying breaking news every damn day.

So when you’re deciding what to get Mom this year, make sure you’re voting for the folks who prioritize these things, make sure you’re stepping up for what she wants to see this county do and not just getting her flowers.

Oh and ps. we also still love handmade gifts and cards, always

*photo: my children and I exploring Sauvie Island, Oregon