Cord Byrd: “this Sunday is Mother's Day. In an annual tribute as old as the holiday itself, all across America, families will…”

“this Sunday is Mother's Day. In an annual tribute as old as the holiday itself, all across America, families will demonstrate just how essential mothers are to the smooth functioning of our families. How will they do this? They will serve mother breakfast in bed. Youngsters will rise early and attempt to sneak past their sleeping mother to reach the kitchen undetected. And despite the keenness of a mother's hearing--just ask any teenager who has been caught coming in too late how keen it is--a mother's soft heart will keep her breathing even and her eyes gently shut as this stealth attack on her kitchen is made. Toast will be burnt, eggs--well, they will be runny, coffee may be the consistency of tar, and the flowers freshly plucked from the prized beds outside the window may be presented in a juice glass because no one knows in what dark cupboard mother hides her nice vases. Why are these mealtime disasters met by smiles and nods of recognition? Simply because mothers do their many jobs so well. Day after day, week after week, month after month, the meals get cooked, the dishes done, the laundry folded, the house cleaned up, in a never-ending routine performed by loving, busy, efficient hands--mother's hands. Despite all the changes in American families, it is still the mother, whether or not she also works outside the home, who does most of the household chores.”