As Mother’s Day is approaching, and as we reflect over the past year, I keep thinking of all the roles that moms have taken on, in addition to all the normal expectations that come from raising your kids. This year we have been teachers, tech support, chefs, a shoulder to cry on, and a friend when all our other friendships felt so far away. That’s why this Mother’s Day, I wanted to set out on a mission to change the conversation around “the perfect mom.” No day is perfect, no mother is perfect, no one has found that perfect “balance” that everyone always asks us about. And you know what? That’s beautiful.
This Mother’s Day season for me has been all about having real conversations, encouraging women to open up about their mental health and celebrate those “real mom” moments that normalize what motherhood really looks like. As a mom to three boys myself, I have a personal understanding of what women and moms have been through over the last year. Whether you’re a work-from-home mom or a stay-at-home mom, these challenges have had a real impact on all of our lives – and I’m no exception. Moms have had to step up to the plate in more ways than ever before, and despite the (many) challenges and difficult days, they’ve held it all together.
This past year has shown the world what I’ve always known to be true…Moms are the superheroes of today. They deserve acknowledgment for all that they do every day, bringing attention to the unpaid labor that all mothers do, which so often goes overlooked. In fact, it’s reported that, whether work-from-home or stay-at-home, moms contribute nearly $11 trillion of unpaid labor annually. In many ways, the pandemic has highlighted the hardships that mothers face and I think the whole country has recognized that there is an extremely important need for more support in terms of childcare and mental health for mothers in our country.
Since the early days of my business, I have been passionate about supporting other women and giving them the tools and confidence they need to succeed – whether it’s through my designs, empowering the women on my team, or giving back to women’s and children’s causes in our communities. This Mother’s Day, I recognized a need to invest in moms who we believe deserve a break and, while we’re at it, raise awareness around the importance of this conversation of mental health, especially for mothers. One of the greatest lessons this pandemic has taught me about motherhood is that if I’m healthy, then my kids, my family, and the people around me will be healthy and happy. Prioritizing self-care through mental health is authentic dialogue that needs to be talked about more.
That is exactly why, this past month, we launched The ‘Kendra Scott Mother’s Day PTO Fund’ in hopes of giving moms some much-deserved time off and encouraging moms to celebrate the beautiful chaos that motherhood is, every day. To do this, we are awarding 50 deserving moms in the coming week with $2,000 each ($100,000 total!) to use on anything they wish, whether it be for their family or themselves.
All mothers had to do was enter their “real life mom moment” on social media with #WearItLikeAMom. This part of the challenge was so inspiring, because it directly combatted this culture around us that spotlights the highlight reel of everybody’s life. This unrealistic take on life can often lead to women and mothers feeling inadequate, and why I think our #WearItLikeAMom challenge is so important. We are empowering women across social media, which is far from glamorous most of the time. My goal with this project is to create a wave of real, honest, inspiring content from mothers that inspires women to encourage and cheer each other on through the highs and lows of motherhood. This Mother’s Day, I want mothers to know that we see you, we hear you, we love you, we appreciate you, and we are proud of you. You wear life beautifully. You wear it like a Mom.