There is a quote that says Mothers are angels who teach their children to fly. Indeed mothers are angels and although we often think that mothers were sent to torture us especially in our adolescent years when we would rather go out with friends instead of washing the dishes or doing our assignments, our mothers nevertheless become our pillar, not just of faith but also our pillar of strength. Mothers may often be misunderstood but it does not mean that they do not know better. My earliest memory of my mother is that of a very pretty face. For me she was the most beautiful woman alive and nothing compares with her.
Even if she was unlike the celebrity mothers who wear designer clothes and do not get out to eat in fancy restaurants all the time, my mother is very real. My mother was small or petite, but she was a formidable foe if you cross her. I loved the way she combed her hair getting ready for bed , letting those blonde locks loose and shiny against the glare of the overhead light. I loved the way she would lovingly wipe my back for perspiration after playing under the hot sun all afternoon not minding the fact that I smelled like a baseball glove worn for two seasons.
On the incidents that my siblings and I cross my mother, those big green eyes of her would squint in disapproval, mouth pursed. But I came to love that about her. When those green eyes do start to squint, it means I have done something wrong. Even if I was born six years after my brother, this never prompted her to play favorites. But rather, she made it a point to be fair and equal among all her children. Whenever I commit a mistake, Mom would not hesitate to point it out to me, punish me if needed.
Sometimes, I detested it but over time I came to realize that Mom did that because she only has the best interest at heart. However, she was not one to hold grudges for long. Like most mothers, my mother is very protective of me that often times I resented her for being so. I did not understand why she has to constantly ask about my whereabouts who I am going with and where I was going. It never occurred to me that this was an essential part of being a mother. A mother cares and worries for her children. Mother taught me that getting reprimanded does not mean that she loves me less.
On the contrary, she showed me that when she scolds me, it means that she cares for me and worries about me. Mother has certainly her own flaws but I have come to accept, in fact love every bit of them. When mom starts to call or page me non-stop, it is either she misses me or she needs something or I have irked her again. Some may call it nagging, I call it loving. For a person to wear her heart on her sleeves is a vulnerable thing, but mother is not all vulnerable. In fact she is very strong. She never backs off in a fight especially if she knows she is right but she also knows how to compromise too.
But compromising for her does not mean that you are wrong. Comprising is just another way of getting things done later. When I started school, mom was my ally. To me, school was a world were ghosts and bad guys lurk. Instead of laughing at my fears, mom showed me instead how great school can be. On my first day of school, she prepared my favorite snacks drove me school. Instead of leaving me at the gates, she came out of the car, knelt down and tenderly cupped my face in both hands and told me Dont worry honey, there wont be any bad guys today, Mommy made them go away.
Although these words are pretty nave, but to a child on her first day of school, these words were more than enough to let her conquer her fears. I went to school that day knowing that Mom was there for me and I learned to enjoy school. I made new friends and introduced them to Mom who was more than happy to serve us hot cookies and milk for snacks. Although my mother was not able to achieve her goal of becoming a nurse, this never made her bitter but rather she motivated us to pursue our own education and goals in life.
She taught us early on that education is very important that is why she never fails to motivate us in school. Mother also taught us the value of relationships. This is evident in her relationship with my Dad. She has been married for 35 years already and that for me is not just a manifestation of an enduring love for a person but of trust and fidelity as well. I am hoping that I can also do the same in my relationship. Being married to the same person for 35 years is not a mean feat. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to do this everyday.
Our generation today does not seem to realize the importance of maintaining a relationship. I, on the other hand, would want to be like my mother. I want to have a long lasting relationship with my partner just like my mother did with my father. I know my mother is not perfect. She has her own flaws too. But for me, these flaws are just tiny imperfections that makes her all the more lovable and perfect. These flaws are just evidences of her humanity. Mother is an angel who teaches us to fly and dream.
As a young grows, he finds the outside environment an interesting adventure with a lot of people to meet, many friends to make and models to emulate. He is fully aware of the norms of the society and understands the position of his/her parents. Through his informal education at home, he gets to know the expectations of the society in which s he has found himself/herself. Here, his parents hold the stake of the model. To a number of people, his trend continues even when they become adults because their parents made indelible marks in their all-round training.
However, others feel dissatisfied with the ways of their parents or just simply want a change as a result, their introduction to the larger community affords the opportunity to make the choice of an individual to make pattern life. Indeed the feeling to have an example is not out of place as it is inherent in every man. Attending schools and socio-cultural gatherings creates an avenue to meet people and learn from them with a view to being like them. Here, some may choose models among their teachers, religious leaders and academia. This means of socialization may not be sufficient.
