Mother Remembered

Now that many of us have spent Earth Day and Arbor Day in total awe of the power and beauty of Mother Nature in shaping our existence, it is time to focus on the celebration of a much more personal shaper of each of us — our very own mothers. Every one of us was brought into the world by a mother. Reproductive sciences may be able to help with in-vitro fertilization or in screening for genetic diseases, but somewhere along the line, a mom (not to mention a dad) was very heavily involved in the process.

Mothers are amazing creatures. We owe our lives to them and in most cases the growth and development of our attitudes and behaviors. Though family structure has changed especially fast in recent decades, most single-parent households are headed by moms. Shamelessly reinterpreting a line from the anthem of the British Empire, Land of Hope & Glory, let us consider “How can we extoll thee, we who are born of thee?”

Our mothers, perhaps even more than our dads, introduce us into the world of relationships. They nurture us and support us as we cry tears of joy at a wedding or a graduation. They hug us and comfort us as we cry tears of grief and sadness when we experience something we regard as terrible. They may be the first person we think of when we need to talk to, Skype to, email to, a trusted someone for advice or help. We may even return home to live with them after we have left home, as about 20 percent of children between ages 25 and 34 do in our country. In 1980, in case you are curious, that number was about 11 percent. They may also be dependent on us later in their lives and live with us, as about 4 percent do.

We often take mothers for granted or whine incessantly at them as children when we can’t have our way. We may often push them to the brink of insanity with our stubbornness. Yet they are there for us. They change our diapers, sing our lullabies, wipe our noses, and see to our needs for food, learning and security.

They put up with our “terrible twos” even when that period of annoying behavior lasts well past a one-year period. We often do not appreciate all that they went through for us and how much our lives really represent an extension of their own hopes and dreams. That appreciation may not come until after they have passed away.

It is altogether fitting to create a holiday celebrating mothers, notwithstanding the urging of the greeting card companies. They fully deserve our applause and honor every day of the year.