1. Guilt
I don't know about all the mothers out there, but my mom has a problem with feeling guilty. She sometimes feels as though she didn't do good enough as a parent. Or she could've done something better. She feels as though she has missed some big mark on the "great mother scale" that i feel all mothers seem to use to down themselves for "not being up to par". This is a huge mistake. My mother has been a great mother! I don't express that enough to her. That scale she seems to measure herself by seems impossible for any one human to meet! But this is one way i know she cares about how well we are growing up. She continues to try to do better, to be better, though i already think she is a pretty awesome mom!
2. Miscalculation of strength
My mom remembers her weaknesses, and sometimes I'm sure she thinks that's how we see her as well. While my mother remembers hard times with regret, we remember how she not only helped us through those times but carried us through them! I can remember times when my mom was worried about many things, but we always knew "Mom's got this". Even through tears and raw (and i do mean raw!!!) emotions, my mom is strong. Much stronger than she gives herself credit for. She has faced things that many people don't know about. Surely some things even I don't know about!
3. Memories
My mom also has a problem with understanding the full amount of things we remember about our childhoods. Again, she remembers places where she feels she lacked in giving us great childhood memories. Oh my word, the stories i could tell! I think back to my childhood, I remember laughter and fun and school days being something to look forward to! Yes, we homeschoolers had bad days in school too, but let me tell you a story. I started trying to learn to read at age six, and for whatever reason ( probably how i have over-analyzed everything from birth), it didn't click for me until age eight. Two very long years of both of us crying over sight words and the alphabet, my mom thought she had to be doing something wrong. But what I remember about those dreary days is that she never just gave up on me. For two years she changed curriculum several times trying to find the best way for me to "get it". She encouraged me to continue trying and told me how smart i was for the weird questions i asked. Never once do i remember her telling me that it was my fault i couldn't get it or that i was slower than my other sisters. That encouraging spirit through those times has stuck with me all these years. Another thing i remember about school, was her huge effort to make it fun! At the time we probably wouldn't have admitted it, but she did make it fun! I remember learning about the many queens of england, and the medieval time period. I remember bejeweling styrofoam balls for the top of our "Queen Elizabeth scepters". I remember learning about the pilgrims and indians. We made headdresses and put face paint on and made our own bows and arrows out of sticks and rubber bands ( we were so cool). We literally sang through English and Math! I could go on and on about how she fed our imagination in school. I think I could tell more exciting childhood stories than most kids. My childhood was awesome!
I write all of this to say this: My Mother is amazing! I wouldn't trade her for anything! No, we don't always see eye to eye on everything (I am pretty hard-headed)! But I do love and respect her. I admire her love, her kindness for others, her strength, her ambition, and her childlike way of dreaming. I always laugh when I catch her dreaming, because I believe that is a trait she has strongly passed on to all of us girls! I think that is a great thing! I love my mom more than words can say. No words or gifts are adequate for the amazing person my mom is! I know I don't say it enough but, thank you for all you do! And I love you Mother! ;)
We are in a time where good mothers are starting become hard to find! So thank you so much to the good mothers out there that truly do put in an effort to be the best they can be!
I would truly love to hear what you think your mother's most inspiring trait is! Let me know in the comments! And feel free to send this link to your mother! Yes, I know mother's day is over, but is one day really enough? Mother's are who form this nation, and the world! Don't take your mother for granted! As always thanks for reading! Until next week!
Sarah
