As a little girl Mothers Day was a day I looked forward to. It was a chance to show my mum just how much she meant to me, and I loved nothing more than making her a homemade card, covered in hearts and glitter, and bringing her burnt toast and cold tea in bed.

Fast forward to adulthood and things changed. I still showered my mum with gifts, although they were slightly better than the pasta necklaces I used to give her when I was younger. My thoughts were no longer solely on my own mum, but instead I would dream about becoming a mum myself, looking forward to the day taking on a whole new meaning for me.

However life doesn’t always work out how you plan does it? I was now a wife and aching to start a family. Years passed by, five to be exact, and I was still no closer to holding a baby in my arms. With each pregnancy I was closer than ever to achieving my dream, but with each miscarriage it was cruelly snatched away from me.

Mothers Day

I started to resent Mothers Day. Going out for lunch with family, raising a toast to all the mum’s at the table no longer made me go all warm and fuzzy inside. Instead I became bitter, angry that I wasn’t included in the toast. Just because I didn’t have a child at the table with me didn’t make me any less of a mum. I was a mum, a mum to six beautiful babies, six babies who were too precious to walk this earth.

But this year is different. I’ve just woken up to tea and breakfast in bed, a wonderfully sentimental card, flowers and a gorgeous pair of shoes. I now have a precious baby boy who has showed me the true meaning of Mothers Day. The lovely people at Hallmark even sent me this pretty pink crown, making me a true queen for the day. And the day is far from over. We’re off out for lunch shortly with the family and for once they’ll be raising a glass of champagne to me too.

Whilst I now have my happy ending I’m still conscious that this day is hard for a lot of women. But Mothers Day isn’t all about cards and gifts, and it has a different meaning for everyone. To me Mothers Day is a day to celebrate all women, regardless of their parenting status. It’s a day to celebrate love, strength, determination and courage.

So to all you women out there, whether you’re holding a baby in your arms or a baby in your heart, I wish you a wonderful Mothers Day – you are all queens to me.