Even with our very different personalities, there’s still a large part of me that takes after my Mum
Dear Mum,
Thank you for being our mother—for your years of devotion and your many sleepless nights worrying over our future and praying for our hearts.
You and I cannot be more different in our personalities; you, the advocate of structure and discipline, and me, the laid-back daydreamer. You used to say that I couldn’t kill an ant even if I tried. My relaxed attitude towards everything must have been a source of great stress for you when I was growing up.
I remember when I was about 5, you signed me up for one of those colouring competitions where we had to present our best work on the spot. The room in which the competition was held in had a big viewing window for parents and I must have been daydreaming because you were so mad with me at the end of it. I never completed my colouring and obviously never came close to winning but it didn’t bother me one bit!
I may not have understood it then, but now that I am a parent, I’ve learnt to appreciate the value of structure and discipline. As a result of the foundation that you’ve given me, I know that providing my children with a structured environment gives them a sense of stability. At the same time, I also believe in giving them the freedom to discover themselves within that structure. In this way, my children get a little bit of me as well as a little bit of you!
Mum, you have been gifted with magic fingers and creativity. You must have gotten it from Grandma because she, too, was a whiz with her hands. From cooking to crafting anything out of nothing—you could give Martha Stewart a run for her money. My primary school art and craft abilities fell way short of your standards of perfection. As such, you could not stomach sitting idly by while I, in my signature laid-back, non-urgent demeanor, attempted art and craft assignments. You ended up finishing almost all of my art homework (save those that we had to finish in school) and my flawless pieces were often even selected for display by my teachers!
Even though it frustrated me growing up, I have come to admire your strong belief in taking pride in all that we do and because of you, I am an advocate of teaching my children to live life with a spirit of excellence. I hope that they glean from you the value of accomplishing things to the best of their abilities and that they, like you, take pride in the work of their hands.
I am so sorry that it’s taken me this long to say thank you for being my mother. Thank you Mum, for loving us to the best of your abilities, for giving up your career to care for us and for only wanting the best in life for us. Time has taught me to look out for the gems in others, and in you I see compassion, hospitality, selflessness and a loving heart.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Used with permission from Focus on the Family Singapore. This article was first published here.
Stay-At-Home-Mom, Sue-Ann is hiding a ‘dirty’ little secret from her 3 children. Her idea of the perfect meal: chocolates for breakfast, cotton candy for lunch and television for dinner!
