To every mom in this community, whether your kids are little or grown, whether you're in the thick of diapers and sleepless nights or watching your adult child navigate life on their own: today is yours. You are doing something that nobody hands you a manual for. You're the one who remembers every allergy, every appointment, every little fear your kid has never said out loud. You're the one who shows up at the school play and the late-night phone call and every ordinary Tuesday in between. You're teaching kindness, resilience, and how to be a decent human, mostly by just being one yourself. That stuff matters. More than you probably give yourself credit for. Here's what I want you to sit with today: the fact that you keep showing up, even on the hard days, says everything. So take a breath. Eat something you actually like. Let someone else do the dishes. You've earned it. And yes, if your babies have four legs and a tail, this includes you, too. Happy Mother's Day. With love from your Wayfinder, Jennifer (the purple one)

I've thought long and hard about the best way to introduce the Parenting topic. Parenting can be both a very public and yet intensely personal thing. We've all been parented to some degree - doesn't matter whether it was your biological Mom and Dad, only one of those, grandparents, other relatives, or people who have no blood relation. Your parent(s) are the people who raise, protect, and care for you. And let's be real -- not everyone is good at it. Some do a better job than others, and there is no instruction manual. The main point so far is that we've got the example we grew up with, and those examples will impact how we move forward as parents. When my children started having their own children, I told them, "Now it's your turn. I've done the best I could, and I know I wasn't perfect. This is your chance to take what you thought worked well and carry that down to the next generation, and take what you resented, what you didn't think worked, and what you don't want your children to experience, and throw it out. Do something different; do it in a way that you think will be better. " And so that's my first message to you. You don't have to be your parents. If they were amazing, then repeat what they did and be amazing, too. If they were flawed, keep what you cherish and throw away the rest. You've got this! ❓Share in the comments: 💜 What's something your parents did that you want to keep and pass down? 🗑️ What's something you're going to throw away, and how will you replace it and make it better?