Sophia White-
There are so many variants of what a mother is or what a mother looks like, but one thing that is for sure is that those we view as mothers (biological or chosen) are the foundation of our lives. Mother’s Day has recently come and gone, but I think we should spend a little more time examining what moms mean to us and how we should always be willing to put in the effort that we put in only on Mother’s Day.
My mother has been an extremely important part of my learning empathy for others. Even if she has extreme road rage, she has taught me how to listen closely to others and be sensitive to others’ feelings. Whenever I have concerns about adulting, we’ll call each other or, if we’re in person, she’ll give me a hug and talk it through with me. I know many people who do not have a biological mother, but usually, there is someone else they have in their lives that they view as a mother figure.
“My mom’s a girlboss. Fact,” First-year Olivia Koeneman said.
I’m currently writing a Vignette for my final in my religion class about the love between a mother and a daughter. Technically, they are not biologically mother and daughter. It is about the story of Ruth and Naomi, where Naomi is the mother-in-law to Ruth. In truly tragic biblical fashion, all the men in Naomi’s family die, leaving a bunch of women to fend for themselves in the ancient world. I’m sure you can assume this is not ideal. In the re-writing of my future narrative of the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, Ruth views Naomi as her mother and that the two would survive tragedy together. It is the idea of the mother giving everything to the child, and then the child giving everything back in the old age of the mother. It is symbolic of the relationship between mother and daughter.
I know for my mother that I intend on taking care of her as much as possible when she gets into her older years; giving her love during her loneliest moments as she has for me. My mom is simultaneously a best friend and my mother. Of course, we have normal boundaries with information, but I choose to share a lot with her. It is one of the many ways I can show that I care about her being in my life. My mother is a person whose love language is acts of service, and for this Mother’s Day, I tried to give her as much of that as possible. When I went home last weekend, I made sure that all the dishes were done. I washed the absolute sewer stink off my dog, did some laundry, and then made crêpes for my family to eat for lunch. I did it for my mom, but I also did it because it feels really good knowing my mom will feel loved when she sees all the work done. So, I try to do a little bit of this every time I go home just so my mom knows I love her.
Despite Mother’s Day having been a week ago, are you continuing to take care of the person who has a motherly role in your life? They care so much about you, but often, the care they give others is used and not received with gratitude or reciprocated. Have you been checking in on the person who is a mother in your life? Sure, a lot of them are getting older now, but most of them can figure out FaceTime. Take it from Bo Burnham, “I tell my boys I need some space, yeah. I’ma FaceTime with my mom tonight.”
Take some time soon for your mom to let her know that you love her and appreciate what she does, and as I said, even if she is not your biological mom or identifies as a woman, give that person some words of love to express that you’ll always be there to take care of them.