“A cynic is the one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Oscar Wilde

To all the moms out there who have endured the beautiful but challenging process of giving birth, I salute you.  And I think you might be interested in an increasingly common topic of conversation: men giving birth. If the technology existed to implant the embryo in a man, how many men out there would be willing to take on the emotional roller coaster of pregnancy let alone the pain of delivering a child? Of course for men, the baby would need to be delivered through the rear as most men lack a vagina. Duh.

I recently asked a random selection of my male yoga students if they’d be willing to bear a child should it be possible. Here were there answers:

“Yeah Dave!”
-Ronny Willsap, Santa Monica, CA

“These questions are starting to get annoying.”
-B. Jagina, City of Industry, CA

“Does that mean I could have a penis and a vagina? Because that would be rad!”
-Stu Lickliter, Encino, CA

“Yeah sure, totally I would. Do I drink the sperm? How does this work? Sign me up.”
-Ron Luber, Sheman Oaks, CA

As you might suspect, many of the men had a hard time taking the question seriously. Because I think many of us men cannot possibly appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into being a Mother. Yogi Rajneesh said, “The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.”

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I recently finished reading a wonderful book on happiness whose most startling insight came from a Bhutanese scholar. He described happiness not as a noun or as a verb but as a conjunction. Our happiness is based on our relationships with our family, community, clients, and friends. As the author describes it, happiness is connective tissue. The happiest people are the ones with strong ties to the world around them.

Maybe we could all take a cue from the wise scholar in a faraway land (Bhutan). Given the importance of relationships, there’s no relationship more symbolic than the one with the person who gave you the gift of life. Whether your mom is on heaven or earth, whether you love her or despise her, you can’t deny her significance. So this Mother’s Day, I encourage you to take it one step further than a Hallmark card, flowers, and brunch. Your mom doesn’t need your presents. She needs your presence.