A Shout Out to Moms From a Grown Up Son

by ParentCo. May 12, 2017

Whenever I tell my mom that I love her, I feel like it comes across as routine, as if it is just the end of the sentence or a way to say goodbye. And I hate that. I hate it because I so often let days go by where I don’t stop and really tell her how much she means to me. Mother’s Day is one day a year that reminds us all to do just that – to express our deep gratefulness for our moms for loving and serving us in an endless amount of ways. Maybe your mom woke you up early every day to make your lunch or made an effort to come to your sports or musical performances. Or maybe you remember the times she made you chicken noodle soup and gave you sprite while you laid in bed, sick. One very special memory I have involves my mom not necessarily doing anything. I was in middle school and had just made first chair in a competitive concert band. I was just old enough to realize that I was actually more excited to tell my mom than I was about the accomplishment itself because I knew she’d be proud of me. That was one of the first times I realized the depth and extent of my love for her. seeking freelance writers to submit work about families, parenting and kids Whatever it is that makes you thankful for your mom, think of those things this Mother’s Day – and tell her! I’ve put together a list of six things that came to my mind, which might prompt a few of your own:

Moms believe in us

Our moms speak greatness into us. Even when we can’t see it ourselves, our moms see great things. And because of that, we rise to the occasion. Moms are like those very best teachers who never let us get away with “less than.” What they’ve always done out of instinct and love, research now backs up – like this study, which shows how a teacher’s high expectations of a student can actually improve the student’s I.Q.

Moms teach us how to work hard

I still remember spending hot summers pulling weeds in a garden that seemed to span three football fields. Our mom made us vacuum and clean our rooms. She made us do our homework and apologize to others when we did something wrong. And we’re so thankful they made us do those things. They taught us not only how to work hard, but the value of working hard. I know I’m much more successful today than I ever would have been if my mom hadn’t taught me these lessons.

Moms want the best for us

Our moms sometimes get a bad rap for intervening too much – like when they show up to your job interview. But do you know why our moms do these things? They aren’t trying to humiliate us, and it isn’t because they don’t trust us. They want the very best for us. They want us to have the best jobs, the best relationships, and get into the very best schools. Our moms’ relentless pursuit of our own wellbeing is pretty remarkable.

Moms sacrifice their comfort for ours

My mom took a week off from her job to help me and my wife with our newborn. I can’t imagine taking PTO only to work my tail off and return to work even more tired. They would even sacrifice their own lives for us, like the mom who recently and heroically strapped her infant into a car seat and dropped her out of their second story window in order to save her from the fire that she herself couldn’t escape.

Moms are proud of us

No matter what level of greatness or mediocrity we achieve, our moms are always genuinely proud of us. They see whatever it is that we do as a step above what everyone else sees – and we love it. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Moms discipline us

Our moms grounded us and forbade us and disciplined us in the ways they best saw fit. In doing so, they taught us how to discipline ourselves, and for that, we are forever grateful. We can more readily say “no” to ourselves today because we had more than a decade of learning to say no thanks to our moms’ disciplinary efforts. Mom, I’m so grateful for your unending love and support. I’ll love you for always. Happy Mother’s Day.


ParentCo.

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