Mothers across the country will be celebrated for their care and nurture come Sunday. Breakfast will be served in bed, crafty gifts will be exchanged from their child and love will be showered in abundance.

Regardless if you’re a single, married, adoptive or new mother, no one should steal the shine that is Mothers Day. Mothers of athletes should especially bask in the pampered glory of the day, given the sacrifices made and amount of money spent during the season.

Majority of the year is dedicated to their child’s team and other sports, as they sit through games, practices and wait patiently for postgame speeches to wrap up after a loss.

Mothers sit in the Mississippi heat for summer softball games or equally cold temperatures during the fall as their child cheers for, or is a part of the team on the gridiron.

Let’s not forget about the reserve amount of energy needed to be enthusiastic about a game after working at least eight hours. Or the stress that’s washed over them if they see their child injured or takes their time to get off the ground.

Your mother is always your biggest fan in life and will be one of the few fans to always support your athletic endeavors.

From the beginning in youth sports, mothers provide the team with snacks, transportation and help with any end-of-the-season banquet decorations or plans.

Moving into the adolescent phase of middle and high school sports, mothers provide the emotional support after a tough loss and witness the true growing pains from that experience.

In this phase, their guidance is at its utmost importance as questions arise of how to handle disagreements with respected elders and the thought of collegiate sports dominate the conversation from ages 15-18.

With commencement three weeks away, the mothers of this year’s graduating class will have to shift the way they nurture to accommodate distance and convenience.

Mothers will send care packages filled with snacks, receive a frequent amount of phone calls asking for money, however, these are the norm freshman year.

But this is the time where mothers also push their children to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences. This challenging lesson, which could spawn heated arguments, is as helpful then as a mother’s nurturing spirit in the early years of their child’s athletic career.

A mother’s job is never-ending just as her love is unconditional. Sunday is a reminder of just how hard their day-to-day job of being the caregiver is and much appreciation will be shown.