Disclosure: A special thank you to Hefty® for sponsoring this post and spotlighting strong moms everywhere. As ALWAYS, I only recommend products that I truly love and all opinions included are 100% my own.
We see them, we know them, we want to be them. So what exactly makes the strongest moms strong? In truth, they don’t come labeled or living in a perfect little world. They may be single parents, they may be married. Strong moms may have one child, or they may have ten. You may find them working three jobs, or working as a stay-at-home mom. Strong moms may have professional degrees, or minimal education. Strong moms may have large muscle mass, or they may tip over when the wind blows. With so many variations, how exactly do you pinpoint what makes the strongest moms strong?
After seeing Hefty® team up with John Cena and his mother, Carol, in order to celebrate strong moms in honor of Mother’s Day, I grew inspired. Determined to find out exactly what makes the strongest moms strong, I wanted to expand upon Hefty®’s “Mom Knows Best” philosophy and dig into the comparison between ultra strong moms and their Ultra Strong trash bags. In order to do so, I did a little digging into the strongest moms both I and my fellow moms know.
The Strongest Mom I Know
If you ask a child, “Who is the strongest mom you know?”, there is a strong chance they will reply with describing their own mother. Why? Because in the eyes of a child, their mom is their hero (you know, when they aren’t simultaneously claiming she is ruining their life for making them clean their room). To a child, THEIR mom is the one that feeds them, dresses them, comforts them, and supports them. If you ask that same child years later that same question, now perhaps them being a mother themselves, you may or may not receive the same answer. Why? Because as individuals age so do their perceptions of reality and their definition of what makes a strong mom. For me, that answer never wavered. Thirty years and two kids later, in my eyes, my mom remains the strongest mom I have ever been lucky enough to know.
My mom’s strength comes from her ability to not only be a strong mom but to be a strong woman. My mom taught me from an early age the importance of finding balance while still giving more of yourself than you are willing to take. My mom showed me what it took to not only juggle being strong at home, but to also be strong in her career. My mom showed me that when life happens, you pick up the pieces and you move on even more grateful than you were the day before. My mom gives of herself so selflessly everyday in order to bring joy to others. After a successful career, in which was dedicated to helping others in the health field, my mom could and would be more than justified kicking up her feet and relaxing her way throughout retirement. Instead, my mom fits 10 days into a 7-day week by volunteering, babysitting for her grandchildren, and driving multiple hours to assist her parents and in-laws whenever needed. And above all that, I’m confident my mom would claim she wouldn’t want it any other way because she feels so blessed by all the amazing people in her life.
While stories of my mom’s strength are plentiful, perhaps one of my favorites is one that is most recent. After an x-ray failed to accurately identify a severe pain in my mom’s leg, she refused to allow the rather excruciating pain to stop her. Instead, she was up at 5am, got in her daily workout, and was over to my house by 7am in order to babysit her two very busy young grandchildren all day while I went to work. This same pattern continued for weeks until she was able to receive further testing. Lo and behold, my mom had been running around on a broken leg for weeks. It would go without saying that she now had the perfect excuse (not that she needed one) to lay low and take a timeout from helping others. Instead, all while following doctor’s weight-bearing orders, she strapped on her boot and never missed a beat. The very next day she was back to babysitting, back to volunteering, and back to driving hours in order to take her parents to a doctor’s appointment.
While I may now be an adult and a mother myself, my mom has never stopped being a mom to me. When I need her, there is no distance or no time of day that will stop my mom from being there. I will always go to her for advice, because I know her advice stems from a strong woman and strong mom. My mom inspires me to want to be a better woman, to be a better wife, to be a better friend, and to be a better mom. My mom isn’t perfect, and she’d be the first to tell you that. However, her ability to embrace her strengths and never be too proud to identify her weaknesses empowers me to do the same each and every day. What makes my mom the strongest mom in my eyes is her ability to be real, to be true, to advocate for herself and her family, and to be the best version of herself each and every day.
The Strongest Moms Others Know
The thing I love so much about the phrase “strongest moms”, is that it is plural. While my mom may be the strongest mom in my eyes, it is very obvious I am not alone with this feeling.
As part of my “Mama Tested-Mama Approved” series, I polled a collection of moms to ask what they thought made the strongest moms strong. With all listed below and many moms admiring the strength of their own moms, a common theme of internal strength and determination to make the best lives possible for their children emerged.
- “I work closely with families that have special needs children. I firmly believe those moms were specially chosen for their strength. They do everything they can to make sure their special needs child is getting their needs met, while attending numerous doctor and therapy visits. Yet trying to keep normalcy for their other children. Often working full time to keep medical benefits and to pay for their medical needs. They are my true heroes often getting little to no sleep and never complaining they just keep pushing forward.”
- “I am always trying to exemplify my mother’s incredible positivity and optimism! Her positive outlook on life makes her incredibly strong and makes those around her want to be positive too!”
- “My friend’s son was sick and needed a liver transplant. Within a month, she gave birth to her 2nd child, and her son was getting a life saving operation where her husband donated part of his liver. Having a newborn, a child fighting for his life, and husband in surgery all at the same time is a lot to bear. Furthermore, she puts an amazing amount of hours into being her son’s advocate and gave up her career (2 expensive degrees) to make sure her family comes first. In addition to all the amazing “mom stuff” she does, she has to manage the medical system and keep her son healthy at school. Since he has a suppressed immune system, she volunteers to bleach down his classroom every week. Inspiring during her crisis and every other day, she additionally finds time to sit on a board for an organization that prevents teen pregnancy and supports pregnant teens and teenage mothers. She is truly inspiring!”
- “My mom built a closet (knocked the room next to hers out and built a separate one in that room and used knocked out one as her second closet) and dry walled part of the basement almost entirely by herself. Single mom rocking it.”
- “My mother’s incredible strength has helped to shape exactly who I want to be as a person. Life has thrown her many curveballs, and she has handled all of them with such agility and finesse. She has always remained authentic in who she is, and greets everyone with a giving and open heart. I truly hope that I mirror this in my mothering as well.”
- “My mom is incredibly strong through so many things that life threw at her. She climbed her way out of the lowest places and built a really good life for herself and us, all while being a single mom and raising two kids. She taught me how to be independent, strong, and self-sufficient, and she was so good at making sure we knew we were loved.”
- “My mom dominated in traditionally male fields. She was an accounting professor who worked her way up to department chair and eventually Dean of Graduate Affairs. A lot of men would talk down to her or try to work around her somehow and she never let them. She wasn’t rude or anti-femininity. She taught me how to wear makeup, how to run a home, and how to never let a man ignore your abilities or intelligence just because you are a woman.”
A Spot On Comparison
As it turns out, Hefty® was right in more ways than one. Just as Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags have Triple Action Technology built to resist tears, punctures, and leaks; so do the strongest moms have an ability to resist being torn down in order to provide the best coverage possible to their children. Similar to how Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags has ARM & HAMMER™ patented odor neutralizer; so do the strongest moms have a capability to neutralize unpleasant situations and turn them positive. Just as Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags offer incredible strength at a low price; so do the strongest moms show support and strength better than many other individuals in a similar situation. And lastly, just as Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags has a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back; so do the strongest moms vow to give 100% of themselves to being the best mom they can be (although no refunds accepted ;)).
This Mother’s Day and everyday, a special shout out to the strongest moms out there. “May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”
This sponsored post was written on behalf of Hefty®. As ALWAYS, I only recommend products that I truly love and all opinions included are 100% my own.
