Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Maybe it is not the regular lunch date or a bouquet of flowers this year. After all, what mothers want more than anything else is for their children to be happy and healthy.
From the moment a woman becomes a mother she feels responsible for her child’s health and happiness. As that child grows into an adult, the maternal feelings can wane, but they will never go away.
Children’s author Robert Munsch’s best-selling 1995 book Love You Forever details the relationship between mother and child that lasts a lifetime; the mother comforting the child, even as an adult.
The book finishes with the adult son returning the favour to his mother in her final days, rocking her and singing her the same song sung to him growing up. It is probably the most touching and fitting tribute to motherhood imaginable, and surely a reason for the book’s huge success.
Mother’s Day is about celebrating the relationship between a mom and her kids. A mother comes along on her children’s journeys, feeling the lows of every struggle and the highs of every accomplishment.
A mother’s connection to her children rarely ceases, even when they live in a different city or don’t have everyday communication. You know those monthly, weekly or even daily phone calls from mom? That is what those are all about.
Those mothers who become estranged from their children always have them in their thoughts, no matter what the circumstances. The word “ambivalence” is just not part of a mother’s vocabulary.
Being a mom is about more than feelings of pride or worry. A deep sense of guilt also comes every time a child cries or hurts themselves. A mom’s heart swells easily, and their strength cannot be measured. The image of a mother lifting a child from danger is never just symbolic.
Every day is mother’s day. The best way to celebrate mom is by giving her a day off from worrying about you, telling her you love her, and that everything is going just wonderfully, thanks.
Better yet, fix what’s broken in your life and strive for more happiness. That will, in turn, make mom happier. Then, go ahead and take her out for that lunch and buy those flowers, anyway. She deserves it.
Jason Schreurs, publisher/editor
