Mother’s Day is observed in many places as a moment to recognise mothers, caregivers, and the people who have offered steady, sustaining care.

For some, today is warm and celebratory. For others, it is complicated, tender, or painful — shaped by loss, distance, strained relationships, infertility, or the reality that not all care has been safe. And for some, it is a day you simply move through quietly.

I want to acknowledge Mother’s Day without assuming what it means in your life.

If today is joyful for you, I hope it feels genuine rather than performative. If today is hard, I hope you can meet yourself with gentleness instead of pressure. And if today is not yours to hold at all, I hope you feel no obligation to participate.

Care matters. And so does honesty about what care has cost.

Gareth