Last week I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to enthusiastic moms of young children. I mentioned, as I often do, that my parents raised me well. They chose to see my chattiness as a strength to develop and not a weakness to eliminate. They helped me form character qualities so I could use my words in healthy and helpful ways. They supported me in Children’s Theater and Forensics. They took me to the library. They encouraged me during hard honors English classes. Praise God!
In honor of Mother’s Day, what else do I appreciate about my mom? (I’ll write about my Dad’s influence near Father’s Day.)
My mom was very interested in what my brother, Dave, and I were interested in. It wasn’t fake interest. She never made me feel like I was an obligation and she was required to ask questions about how I was doing. I think she really cared. Do you really care? Do your kids know it? Does anyone need a do-over?
My mom cared until the day she died almost two years ago. (I can’t believe it’s been that long.) My mom was my mom my entire life. Sure, she also became my friend. Most definitely! But, she never stopped being my mom. I’m grateful she wanted to invest in me every day/year. If you’ve stopped caring or your care isn’t well received, I pray you can talk about it. It’s never too late for a do-over.
My mom drove Dave and me to-and-from piano, viola, and trumpet lessons. She sat with us in the living room as we practiced. She encouraged and challenged us. She also sat near the front at all concerts, even driving four+ hours (with my dad) to university concerts. She invited our grandparents, great aunts, aunts, and uncles to junior high, high school, and college concerts. I love that she understood the value of the extended family.
What about you? Do you enjoy the end product your children/students produce, but ignore the practice times? They’ll never be as successful as they could be. It takes paying attention to both – and that’s true for academics, athletics, and artistic pursuits.
I could go on-and-on and I’m grateful I could. I hope you’ll take time to reflect on your mom and/or your role as mom.
