I have two questions. One is for you if you are a mother. The other is for the rest of us.
First question: As a mother, what is one thing you wish you had done differently with your children?
Yes, Sunday is Mother’s Day. It is a day for sending cards, giving flowers, and saying nice words about mothers. I want to think about this on another level though. If you are a mother, I am wondering what you have learned about being a mother that you would like to do differently if you could do it over?
Perhaps your children are grown and have moved out of your house. Or, perhaps your children are in college or in high school. After thinking about the years that you spent rearing your children, what would you have done differently?
Second question: What did your mother do right?
Can you pinpoint something that your mother did well? Is there something she did that today is especially meaningful to you?
Yes, I know that some people had very unpleasant experiences with their mother, dad, or even both. That is a tragedy and a loss. Yet, I think it is important to learn from those who are mothers and can now reflect upon the experience. It is valuable to learn from one another as we remember our own mothers.
I learned from my mother the importance of service and helping others. She did this with her children, again and again. I realized later on that she had often put her own welfare and her own desires behind the needs of her children. She saw to it that her children had clothes, school supplies, and money for lunch. All of this seemed to be placed before her getting the things she wanted and no doubt needed.
What about you?
Jim Martin