Tonight, as I write, I’m thinking about mom, my long-gone mother. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but we loved each other. She and I shared many personality traits. Strong willed, polite, teacher-at-heart, but she never liked my animals. Her father was a doctor. After he brought home a child who had been bitten brutally, she was fearful, especially of dogs, yet I am a dog lover. She didn’t let her fear affect me. For this, I’m grateful.
What about your mother? How many traits can you track back to your mom? Is your dad a better role model for you? Can you see the different traits you’ve inherited?
My dad was a sales guy who owned his own business after he graduated. He took risks for growing a business which made my mother shiver with worry, but they did ok.
Why am I telling you this? I encourage you to do a self-check. What do you carry with you from your mom or dad or maybe your brother? Some might look back to notice a sad trait, like alcohol. Or being a workaholic. The situation where you saw some ugly times. I was fortunate as my parents were teetotalers. No alcohol.
What are Your Thoughts on Mother's Day?
Were your parents patient or stand-offish? Did you really know both or did the family split? Do you recall the good and bad traits? Do you think encouragement came from grandma? Is that why you loved her so much?
What makes you tick with the guidance you experienced? Did you hate your mom or dad when you were a teenager? Do you still hold a bad experience or find that your father guided you well, although your mom died when you were five or six? Are you better or worse from what you saw growing up?
I share this short story to encourage you to take a good look at your background. I hope you are a good role model for your kids and relatives, even adult children, to make sure you drop the bad traits and recognize that smile your mom used to make to brighten the day. Hear the music?