Posts about moms are going to be all over the internet this week — and rightly so. Mother's Day is a great reminder to thank our moms for everything they do and have done for us, and while I'm not always the best about remembering to thank mine, in my college years I have come to rely on my mom like I never have before. As generic as it sounds, my mom is someone that deserves to be thanked every day rather than once a year.
As a kid, a mother's job is to protect and nurture her child to grow into the best person they can be. They fill the roles of chauffeur, live-in chef, teacher, hair stylist, event coordinator and so many more. In my childhood years, I rarely thought about the work that goes into parenting, but after my youngest brother was born (a fourteen year age difference between us) and I watched him grow, I came to realize just how much sacrifice goes into motherhood. Being responsible for the person a child becomes is no small task!
Since entering college my mom has become less of my teacher and more of my friend. She has taught me so many lessons I never knew I'd put to use until I lived on my own, and now she has become one of the first people I want to share my failures and successes with. She celebrates with me when I do well in my endeavors and tells me when I'm in the wrong, and so far her advice has been nearly always right.
My mom has taught me how to treat others well and love even when it's difficult, and the kindness she shows others inspires me to put the needs of others before my own. I don't know many people who exert themselves for others as much as she does, yet she exemplifies joy in her busy schedule.
Through her actions I have been taught that all people deserve to be treated with kindness and that nobody is more deserving of love than someone else. She doesn't rank the people around her by level of importance, but instead gives everyone the same amount of love and attention.
She has also taught me the value of hard work and how to chase after what I want, even when it requires lots of time and sacrifice to get there. Choosing a smaller private school was a bit of a stretch financially, but instead of telling me I had to attend somewhere else, she told me we would make it work to be able to send me there. I have never heard her complain about how much it has cost her to raise three kids or how many hours are on her schedule for the week.
While these qualities sound like mothers everywhere, I am certain that I am undeserving of all the ways my mom has loved me and provided for me over the years. Hug your mom and tell her she is appreciated, because sometimes we forget just how much they’ve really shaped us.
