Love, appreciate mother every day

Student mothers are under much more pressure than mothers such as Lucy Ricardo of the "I Love Lucy" show, Harriet Nelson of the "Ozzie and Harriet" show or Carol of "The Brady Bunch".

They don't have a maid cleaning house and magically solving household crises, or a wise husband sitting around handing out advice.   Mothering no longer consists of washing, cooking, shuffling children from school to after-school activities, helping with homework and reading bedtime stories while the father reads the evening paper in his favorite chair, drinking his favorite drink.

Often there is no father in the home and mother has to do it all and still find time to finish her own homework and study for exams. If she works, the 24-hour day never ends.

She doesn't quit but pushes herself, driven by the desire to build a better world for her children.

Once a year, the commercial world goes crazy and celebrates mothers and their accomplishments. Children and spouses stand in line for hours at restaurants to give mom a day out of the kitchen. They treat mom like she is special.

Mom is special every day, not just on the second Sunday of May. She endlessly cleans our dirty laundry and dries our tears. A mother puts up her fists and fights when she knows her child is right and defends her children although she knows they are wrong.

Short of robbing a bank, moms find the money somewhere to buy that special gift or textbook. They excel at squeezing the budget and stretching food to provide for their children. Homework becomes a hobby to them.

Children know that Superman is not the only person with X-ray vision. They know mom sees through the pain and bravado and has built-in radar that picks up their signals. They can count on her for love and support no matter how bad the situation is.

We should return the favor. Love mom no matter what, and do it everyday, not just on Mother's Day.