The requirements for moms. As Mother’s Day arrives what are requirements for a good mom? How about a great mom?
Now as a man my knowledge of women is by definition limited. Women seem to move in a dimension I am often unfamiliar with. A sort of Twilight Zone beyond my mere male comprehension. So if I were to write about the requirements of a good women I would be unlikely to do the subject justice. But I do have experience with my own mother’s love, tolerance, empathy, and the list would go on.
I know my mom met all the requirements of a good mom and a great mom. This did not (with deference to her) render my mother a perfect mom. I believe a perfect mom is like a Stepford Wife, unattainable and undesirable. A mother’s slight imperfections provide a daughter with the knowledge that it is OK to do the best you can when it is your chance to be a mom. For a son, occasional motherly missteps ingrain the wisdom to be grateful for the women you may be blessed to love in your journey as a man.
So perhaps there aren’t any requirements for mom other than that she tries. The qualities I mentioned above love, tolerance, and empathy seem needed, but so to does toughness, sternness, and grit. My mom had those too, and as a young child those qualities of tough love didn’t always seem so great, but they were needed at least with a child like me.
Being “MOM” is a hard job, and this is why later in life when women and men are honored for something they accomplished they often thank a mom. These winners in life know it wouldn’t have been possible without old mom’s lessons. Those lessons may have come in childhood or just the week before.
How do moms do it? I don’t know; go ask your mom and give her a thanks and an “I love you”. Thank you to my mom and all the moms out there. Happy Mother’s Day!
