I am writing today from my bed through mounds of tissues, a bottle of cough medicine and a trusty thermometer on my end table. Yes, I have the flu and this is not fun. I had a tough time thinking of a topic and then I went to the doctor today and she said (what seemed to me) like the craziest thing.

I am sitting on the table, my 5-year-old son is playing on the floor, and the doctor comes in with my flu test results. She proceeds to say "I can't believe it, you are positive for the B-strain of the flu. How can you be walking right now?"

I thought to myself what else was I supposed to do? My 5-year-old has to get to preschool, and my 7-year-old got a reading award this morning and my dad is coming to town. I can't stay in bed, I have a family and my children need me. I didn't say all of that to the doctor, but I left, got my son lunch, read to him, helped him with his homework and then got him off to school. Only after my children were situated I allowed myself to rest and acknowledge how bad I felt.

Isn't that the way for all moms? Don't we experience that every day? We may not have time to eat breakfast, but our children will not go off to school without a healthy start. It does not cross our minds to say, “I am sick, I can't take care of you today, honey.” We just do it. We don't think about it. We do everything we can to make sure we don't cough or sneeze around our kids while making sure they get the sugar from mom they need.

Moms are amazing. Moms are not given a handbook. We don’t have to be told to put our children and families first, it is instinctual to us. We have eyes in the back of our heads, and we know when our children are sneaking another cookie even if we are in the other room. We hear all and can hear a child cry outside even if we are upstairs in the back of our house and we know to come running.

Moms love unconditionally and make sure everyone in their family is taken care of. We also don't shirk our responsibilities and even the tasks that seem insurmountable will not be ignored even in the face of the flu.

Mothers Day is coming soon. Don't forget the moms in your life.