She’s always the last one to sit down at the dinner table.

A mother never gets to eat first, she’s always last to get to her plate. Some nights, she even eats a cold meal.

My nana was this way (and with nine children it’s understandable) and my mother was this way.

And now, I get why.

Because there’s a toddler who needs their food dished up first so that it cools down enough for him to eat.

There’s a baby who needs everything mashed up and cut fine so that she doesn’t choke.

A toddler who would like some apple juice and a baby who needs a bib.

A husband who forgot to grab the condiments for you, so you’ll grab them because, well, you’re already up.

A toddler who says his mac and cheese is still too hot so you take the plate away to fix it to his requests.

A husband who needs a fork.

And then you finally get to sit down…

But, oh yeah, you forgot a glass of water for yourself and you got your husband’s fork but forgot a spoon for yourself.

THEN you get to sit down at the table again.

But even then, you’re handing out napkins to everyone at the table.

Because that’s what we do as moms; we make sure everyone else’s needs are met before our own. We’re the caretakers and nurturers of the family. We take care of our husbands and our children first and put ourselves second.

So now I get why she was always the last to the table...she was busy taking care of me.

(This post originally appeared on Her Strength & Dignity.)