parents
The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.
My Wife, the Mom Boss
God blessed me with a fantastic mother. She was a stay-at-home mom until my siblings and I were well into school. I benefited from her nurturing care and good example as a child and still experience it as a grown man. I definitely could write about my own mother, but the boss mom I want to spotlight is my wife.
Love, Elevated
My mother is like an electron – constantly vibrating at a frequency much higher than most people – even at 70 years old! Retirement hasn’t slowed her down much. She recently relayed to me that her FitBit informed her that she has walked the 5,000-mile length of Africa. Oddly enough, Africa is next on her list for a travel adventure. She’s had many – and has taken me along for most of them. Since I can remember, we have been traveling together, nationally and internationally. She travels well, rarely gets tired or has any complaints. She is a master at adapting to new situations and can find the humor in anything – which is what makes her such a survivor. As a single mom since I was two years old, her electric energy has helped her balance all the demands of being a single parent. While I was growing up, she steadily worked three jobs simultaneously. High school English teacher. Private tutor. SAT Prep Instructor. While getting her Masters in English, she attended night classes on top of her day job. When she couldn’t find a babysitter, she’d bring me to her classes where her kind instructor would allow me to sit quietly in the back to read and color. When I would need a change of scenery, I’d traipse to the vending machines for an exciting game of choosing the snack with the highest salt or sugar content. Sometimes it was Fritos. Sometimes it was Sour Patch Kids. My mom still holds onto threads of guilt for bringing me to her night classes, alluding to the fact that I’d sometimes fall asleep in the back of the room – and memories of me slumped over on the desk (with or without drool, depending on the day) was one of the pivotal reasons she later decided to forego completing a PhD program at that stage in her life. She wasn’t willing to sacrifice my childhood for an intense program that would have her busier than she already was.
Jessica MolloPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesMy Wife's Mothers Day Gift
I have a confession to make... Time and time again, I've thought about our story; actually I've got another project in the works that speaks on exactly that. It has never been a secret when it comes to how much I regret the way things ended between us. Fell in love as kids, met at the end of the aisle, had our beautiful daughter... almost a fairy tale story except we didn't reach the happily ever after. Even still, you're the love of my life and I will never hesitate to express that. However, you have moved on and to a man that has earned nothing but my complete and total respect at that. Seriously, if there was anyone that I'd want you to be with that wasn't myself, he has proved with out a shadow of a doubt to deserve that opportunity. I sincerely mean that, swear to god I do. Either way, that's not really the topic of discussion I intended for this letter. Rather, it's something to keep in mind going forward because even though you have hurt me in some ways worse than anyone else ever has in my entire life, I couldn't have chosen a better woman to be the mother of my little girl and that's a significant factor in why I'm still in love with you as I type these words this very moment.
Carlos GuerraPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesLove Always, Mom
Love Always, Mom My mother, a hard worker. The optimist. The intelligent caregiver. The instrumental genius. The original writer of our family. The list goes on. Being a single mother raising 4 children in NY was no easy feat for my mother. Times were hard, but my mother worked hard to provide and to make sure we were happy. To this day, I am not sure where she got the strength to raise all of us, and go through her personal battles at one time. But somehow, day in and day out, she made it work. Amongst the many lessons I was taught, a few were prominent and still hold true to this day for me. As kids, we are taught many lessons, however, when we are adults some of those lessons take hold more than others. My mother taught me that times would be hard, and she in no way sugar coated this fact. My mom taught me tricks to survive on my own, and how to stand on my own two feet. When I went out into the world, I was ready. I was afraid, but I was ready. Afraid. Who wouldn't be? These were times I would call my mom, and tell her how afraid I was, and she would encourage me. "You're strong, you can do this. You got this. You're fine." Simple words that comforted me and let me know that I would be ok. The fact was, I was perfectly fine. I could cook, clean, and work like any other functioning adult. I was fine.
Winter MadisonPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesThank you, Mother.
When most people think of “mom,” I think they envision a maternal figure full of warmth, caring, and loving commitment, whether they think of a biological mom, or someone who stepped up to fill those shoes in a time of need. Most of us try to be that ideal mom, giving our children (or the children of the world) the best chance to grow up happy, healthy, and loved. We use days like Mother’s Day to honor the women who have loved us and helped to shape our lives. I believe that mothers are worthy of honor, even those mothers who maybe weren’t the ideal, because no matter what kind of mothers they have been, we have managed to learn from them. Sometimes what we learn is what not to do with our own children… My story is a little different from many others, yet I still want to honor my mother for the contributions she made in my own journey to becoming a Boss Mom.
Dee HendersonPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesThe Boss of all Mums
History of ass kickery History is full of badass mums and some you may never have heard of. From Angela Cavello: The Supermum who lifted a 3500lb car off her son after the jack gave way and collapsed on him, to Ann Jarvis: The mum that inspired Mothers Day during the Cival War, with her kind heart and ability to care for both sides when they were wounded. And, not all badass mums are human either. Sai Mai, was a Bengal Tigress from Thailand who swapped her fierce hunting instinct for a mothers instinct when she suckled and cared for 6 piglets and many other 'cubs' over the course of her time at Sriracha Tiger Zoo.
Kayleigh TaylorPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesMothers Lessons
Since I could remember, I would look up to you. I knew that as my small eyes looked into yours directly something in the future would change. With each moment I got older, dread would overcome me and I would be so afraid to keep feeling what I once felt as a infant, your departure. For years I tried to be as loving and understanding as I could possibly, of the illness that took over you little by little. Not understanding why your behavior towards me became colder and much more distant, yet I tried my best to be there. My world became much darker by each breathe I took, and that was when I knew why our futures would part ways. At the age of 5 your coldness became abuse, but being that young I believed that if I loved you just a little more each day it would heal you.
Ashley HernandezPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesTough as a Mother
A lot of my life has been made up of hard lessons I had to learn on my own because you weren’t there. Physically you were, but mentally and emotionally you checked out a long time ago. Being a mom means you’re supposed to be the first line of defense for your babies and always be a safe space to hide from this cruel world and you haven’t been that for me in as long as I remember, and it’s ok. I learned to comfort my fears and be my own cheerleader, I learned to rejoice in my successes and criticize my failures - that was something I never needed help with. Strength is something you taught me.
Megan McCulloughPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesI’m Forever Grateful
I was born on October 10th, 1994. Right after my mom got her tubes tied. My mom saids she’s glad she didn’t get them tied any sooner, because I wouldn’t have been here, I’m glad too for that. On December 16th 2013 I was diagnosed with lupus, one of the most hardest things I have ever gone through. My mom taught me not to give up, she taught me how to keep going despite change and hardship, most importantly she taught me how to trust in God. With this illness there’s been many times where I just wanted to give up on life! All this pain I’m in made me wanted to just throw in the towel but my mom helped me to see that life is precious and beautiful...even though people like me with chronic illnesses are suffering each day life still can be fulfilling and exciting. In 1998, my father decided to leave our family and left my mother with four children. My mom had to do it all on her own, so I’m sure there were many times where she wanted to give up but she kept going, working two jobs just to support us. I see that as being brave and strong.
Reba MillerPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesGot it From My Momma
Growing up, I had far from an ideal life. My parents divorced and I went through one heartache after another, but my mom was always my rock and wanted to fix my heart at every turn. I never really appreciated my mom for all she had done while I was under the same roof as her, but when I moved out on my own for the 1st (2nd, 3rd, and 4th) time, she was always there to help with whatever I needed, from buying me some necessities like toilet paper or helping me move all of my stuff from one place to the next. I learned what being a parent was and how much my mom was willing to and had sacrificed for me my whole life. When I found out I was pregnant at 22 while not in a relationship, but from what should have stayed as just a hook up, she wasn't too excited because she didn't want me to have to struggle like she had. What she didn't realize is that she had prepared me better for being a mom than wither of us knew.
Crissy CornwellPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesA Pound of Oranges
Dear Mom, I’m writing you this morning as I’ve had a battle with insomnia for quite some time. It’s really not the worst thing, I enjoy opening my window and letting what’s left of the night crawl onto the walls of my room. Lonliness doesn’t exist at 4am. I have coffee in hand and it looks like this page will soon see a few stains. You know it’s funny, my mug is chipped in the same place as yours. I think of you every morning as I take my first swig. I swear some mornings it tastes like home, or maybe it tastes like Folgers and a twisted sense of admiration. Either way, these beans have a way to clear the fog from my mind, meaning, my writing can only get better from here—
Flying Lessons
On the coldest mornings, I got dressed for school in the bathroom while my mother took her shower. My insistence on chatting with her while steam filled up the room likely stole her only daily chance at a precious moment alone, but she never chased me out or told me to be quiet. She let me sit, curled up on the toilet seat, knees drawn up to my chin as she dried her hair, brushed her teeth, and massaged a litany of creams into her cheeks.