Just in case no one told you today— you are special, mama

If there is one thing everyone everywhere wants, it is to feel special.

I have news for you: You are.

It’s easy to forget. It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of things and forget that you have worth.

It’s easy to feel left behind when there are chores to do, meals to cook, places to go, work to be done.

It’s easy to feel that we are solely in this workplace, this family, this life to do things for everyone else—even if it means forgetting to honor ourselves.

It’s easy, but it’s not okay.

Last week, Tween Queen and I had a Mom/TQ Day. She got to play hooky and have Mom all to herself for the entire day. She chose the activities we did, the foods we ate, and pretty much called all the shots with no nagging from moi.

We watched YouTube, ate sushi, played with animals, went to the mall, ate subs, and came home at bedtime. I lavished my attention only on her, and she ate it up, right along with the sushi.

She’s a lovely, responsible, kind and witty 12-year-old—and even if she wasn’t, she would deserve such a day. A day where she is reminded that she means the world to me and that I completely and wholeheartedly love being her mother.

Today Little Princess and I had a Mommy/LP Day. Same deal: She ruled the roost. She, ahem, skipped school, we went to the library, got McD’s, went to the park, went to Toys-R Us, and got to choose our evening meal—breakfast for dinner. She got all my attention and full focus today, and she soaked it all up.

She is an amazing, fun, sweet, hilarious 4-year-old—and, again, even if she wasn’t, she would also deserve such a day. A day where she, too, is comforted in the knowledge that she is one of my dreams come true and that being her mommy means so very much to me.

Whether we admit it or not, we all crave this kind of attention and affection.

We all want to be reminded that we are special and worthy, that we make a difference in the lives of those around us.

We want to know that, even though there are many days we share everyone and everything around us, we aren’t lost in the shuffle.

We want to know that we stand out and are cherished and treasured. It’s not a weakness, it’s a requirement.

I try to do these kinds of things with my girls every so often. Spend some special time with each of them, just the two of us. And it dawned on me that we all deserve that.

Me, I deserve it—I deserve someone to remind me I matter.

My hot husband, he deserves it. Even when he’s annoying and I don’t feel like admitting it—he deserves to be reminded that he is irreplaceable.

Our parents, our siblings, our friends near and far, they all deserve to be shown how much they mean to us. Whether it’s a card, a call, or a day out, make it a priority to let them know that your life is better because of them.

And you. You are worthy, too. You should feel cared for and appreciated right along with everyone else—don’t forget that you matter, too.

Life gets busy.

We mean to call and we don’t.

We mean to get together, and we keep putting it off.

We mean to consciously pay attention to one another, and we get sidetracked. That’s just how it is sometimes.

So tell those close to you how much they are loved. Take some time to visit, to chat, to share coffee and catch up. We truly do have the time and means to do the things we place the most importance on.

It’s only when we get our priorities confused that we place our relationships on the back burner.

Let’s get them back where they belong.

Original article by Sheri Schooleyon for Moms & Stories.