There is No Other Like My Mother

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore, he made mothers.” — Rudyard Kipling

Mothers. We do so much for so many people.

We are overworked and undervalued.

We are constantly putting everyone else’s needs ahead of our own.

Being a mother necessitates acts of selflessness.

Being a mother entails unconditional love for one’s family.

Being a mother necessitates perseverance and self-sacrifice.

Being a mother entails a great deal of responsibility and effort.

To so many different people, we are so many different things. It’s a wonder we’re able to keep it all together. Yet, we would not have it any other way.

The benefits of motherhood outweigh the sacrifices.

My Extraordinary Mother

My two siblings and I were extremely fortunate to have the best mother imaginable.

Mom was the epitome of kindness and selflessness. She was always willing to help us in any way she could. She encouraged us in any endeavor we wanted to pursue as our biggest champion and cheerleader.

When it came to her beloved children, she saw the world through rose-colored glasses. We were seldom to blame for our failures or rejections. Mom would blame the latter two on external factors.

Mom always remembers old incidents and memories in a positive light. I have to gently remind her that things did not always play out quite as she remembers. I do love that about her.

Mom’s nurturing qualities are something I admire. She had a knack for knowing just what to say to make us feel better about ourselves.

I remember having the jitters before starting junior high at a new school. Mom sat down with me the night before my first day of school to give me a pep talk.

My Childhood

When I became a mother, I was amazed at how mom managed to work, cook dinner, clean the house, and raise three children without the help of a maid or childcare.

We were all taught as children to make our beds and do our laundry.

I was in charge of washing the dinner dishes every day and preparing school lunches for my siblings and me. The latter was a chore I despised but grudgingly accepted.

My father helped me with grocery shopping and childcare. However, like many men of his generation, he felt his only responsibility was working and paying the bills.

Furthermore, he traveled frequently for work, leaving my mother to handle most household chores and childcare.

I will say that she was fortunate that every minute of her children’s days did not have to be controlled.

My siblings and I used to spend hours after school riding our bikes and playing kickball with friends in our neighborhood. Evenings were devoted to homework, chores, and watching television.

Motherhood

Nowadays, we spend most of our time transporting our children to a dizzying array of extracurricular activities to keep them occupied and entertained.

There is a lot of pressure on parents to do everything.

My son took karate, basketball, tennis, swimming, piano, and guitar. My daughter took ballet, tap, jazz, ice-skating, swimming, guitar, art, and Kumon.

The list above is by no means exhaustive, as these are the activities that my children actually participated in for several years in a row.

After a short time, they dropped out of many other activities due to a lack of interest or time constraints.

Because the days were jam-packed with activities, they were insanely busy. It was the only way we knew how to live.

I feel remiss. We were always overbooked, not only with classes but also with playdates, lunches, and dinner parties.

Final Thoughts

Now that my childhood is over and my children are grown, I’m left wondering how mothers do it all.

We should give ourselves some credit and pat ourselves on the back for everything we accomplish.

Mother’s Day should be observed daily!