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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- It's the sap, sappiest time of the year.
Which isn't to say that it ought not be.
With each passing year, Mother's Day seems to change just a bit.
Motherhood, most of us know, is a rotten business, pretty much done in anonymity. Which is OK with most moms, except when it's thankless as well. Which is, by the way, most of the time.
The anonymity of motherhood seems to be changing, however, as motherhood changes.
And not necessarily for the better.
Anonymity seems to be going out the door, at least for the famous moms of children whose inconvenience is far outweighed by their PR value.
So we have Katie Holmes bearing a child so as to give boyfriend Tom Cruise some visible proof of manhood on the eve of his big movie. Who embarked on a more impossible mission, Katie or Tom?
Well, Katie does have to raise two children now.
At least we know that fatherhood hasn't exactly undergone a change. Guys still think it's all about them, a notion mostly fed by other guys whose masculinity is invested in motherhood. Nobody said it made sense.
Anyway, motherhood now is an asset, at least for some.
The basics, however, aren't difficult. Annie Oakley in Irving Berlin's Broadway musical knew all about it. It's just "doin' what comes naturally."
So Katie is a mommy. So is Britney Spears, as is Madonna. "Good Morning, America" last year went to Denise Richards (Mrs. Charlie Sheen at the time) for advice about juggling parenting and motherhood. Strangely, the subject of choosing a responsible parenting partner just didn't come up.
Maybe there's more to it than doin' what comes naturally.
Not that the idea would occur to the likes of the above, who milk their pregnancies and births on television talk shows only to pass the little darlings off to nursemaids and surrogates while they go about the business of being famous.
It all devalues motherhood, but what can we expect from an age in which Cindy Sheehan manages what would be impossible in more sane times. Nobody pimps motherhood quite like Cindy Sheehan.
Not even Joan Crawford got away with that, though she managed it until her daughter wrote "Mommie Dearest."
Some of us pay attention, though, and have figured out the dirty little secret of motherhood.
It's a nasty business, full of self-centered, emotionally stunted and dependent brats. And that's just the fathers who stick around.
Here's to you mothers who hang in daily, putting together breakfasts and lunches for the offspring, helping with homework when they get home at night, fitting in laundry, vacuuming, mop work and cleaning the dishes.
Oh, then there's that business of going to your own jobs and banking cash for the mortgage and college expenses.
All without ever getting to smile into a camera for a slick magazine cover or being interviewed on late-night television about your grueling movie schedule.
For those of you real moms out there, you know who you are, and you know what you do.
Lest we forget, thanks.
Gary Harmon writes for the Daily Sentinel. E-mail:gharmon AT gjds.com
Cox News Service
