Jonathan Webb, CEO
The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Sometimes we don’t think enough about things that seem obvious: Such as what mothers and mother figures do to support our well-being.

This is just one of the many thoughts going through my head on my first Mother’s Day as CEO of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs. Amid all the hard work we at AMCHP do with amazing partners to improve the lives of women, children and families everywhere through changes in policies, practices and education, this is a good time to pause and be thankful for what mothers try to do every day to improve and protect their families, even in the face of enormous challenges.

This Mother’s Day, I encourage all of us to think about how the mothers in our lives (however we define them) have influenced the well-being of their families and themselves, from decisions about food, to modeling how to behave, to limiting where we go and when. Let me start:

My mother would always tell my brother and I that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Therefore, I always focus on engaging people with sincerity, honesty, and an open-heart/mind, because I never want someone’s first impression of me to be dismissive or disingenuous. I don’t claim to know why people are put into each other’s lives, but if there is a wall put up initially, it makes it difficult to have a meaningful impact together when the opportunity presents itself.

Please take a moment to reflect, and to share with your family or with colleagues in maternal and child health. To share with the MCH world: Go to Twitter to share one thing a mom/mom figure in your life (including you!) does/did to support the well-being of herself or her family, through #MomsMatter. Or send your thoughts to our communications office at pboyle@amchp.org. We’ll collect them all and spread the memories.

This is just one way to acknowledge the impact of all the moms in our lives.