Mom Talk
I got this picture, as well as the following poem, from: http://www.proudarmymoms.org/poems3.htm
NAiVETe
If every single soldier
took his Mother off to war,
it would be the quickest battle
that was ever fought before…
the kindest sweetest Mother
would turn into something wild
should any sort of danger
pose a threat to her dear child.
There’s something in a Mother
that clicks in when baby’s born -
that tells her to protect him
and keep him safe from harm…
the female of the species
is the fiercest,so they say -
So take the Mothers with you -
you’ll be home within the day…
©Christina January 1995
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few weeks ago I had to interview my mom for one of my classes. I basically just asked her a bunch of questions about her development (mainly in her younger life). She wrote her responses out for me and, therefore, I thought I'd share them with my readers. Although these responses don't say much about who she is nor much about the numerous incredible things she has done, they provide just a quick glimpe into the life of this wonderful lady:
One of the most important aspects of my development was the fact that my parents encouraged my independence as far back as I can remember. They never made me feel that I couldn't do something. If my siblings and I wanted to do something our parents always said, "If you believe you can do it go ahead." This was anywhere from painting a chest of drawers at age six to redecorating and wallpapering the house at age fourteen. Our parents always treated us with respect as if we had good sense even when we probably didn't!
At age eighteen I got married because that is what girls did back then. I learned the hard way that infatuation does not necessarily create a good marriage. After five years I was divorced. Later, I remarried a man that I was not infatuated with but whom I respected. He was a trustworthy and stable partner who respected and encouraged me in my own pursiuts. This marriage has lasted 34 years.
Up until I was five years old my brother and sister and I played the same types of games such as cowboys and indians, cops and robbers, and chase. There didn't seem to be any differences made between girls and boys during those years. However, when I was five years old I started to first grade and quickly learned there was a difference between girls and boys. There were girls bathrooms and boys bathrooms and a kid could get into big trouble if he or she went into the wrong one. Also, I began to notice there was a differenec made in attitudes toward boys and girls. Girls were expected to sweep and clean the blackboard while boys were asked to bring in wood for the wood stove and climb up and let the windows down from the top.
From as far back as I can remember, growing up my mother took us to church at least every Sunday. By the time I was in high school I was given the choice of going to church or not and I chose to do so. However, over the years I have come to believe that one does not have to enter a building and meet with other people to worship God and be a Christian. Therefore, I do not attend an organized church now.
When I was young, we lived in a rural setting where almost everyone was in the same social class. None of us had a lot of money but my family and all my friends were comfortable and happy and did not realize there were so many things we did not have. I was grown before I really saw the differences between the "haves and the have nots." Travelling to other countries and working with people of various social classes has made me realize that all men are not created equal. They are created in a social class that is almost impossible to escape from.
Education was always of foremost importance for all of my childhood. My mother had a master's degree, her two brothers did as well (which eventually became Ph.D's), and her father was a doctor. I always knew the pressures to get a good education yet they never really seemed pressuring. My mother was a teacher and it was a given that I could go to college after high school. I never gave a thought to not going to college. I just didn't realize that I would be spending twenety-two years in school! Education does not stop with the end of the classroom setting. To make life worthwhile, education should be a never ending process. Education keeps ones life from becoming stagnant.
I have been employed since I was seventeen. Early jobs were understandably low wage as I had not completed my education. However, I always felt that my jobs were important and should be done well. With every job, I advanced as much as was possible. I always kept higher goals in sight until I have finally realized my dream of being a self-employed professional. Money is very important in ones choice of employment, but even more important is ones satisfaction and enjoyment of his or her profession.
A few weeks ago I had to interview my mom for one of my classes. I basically just asked her a bunch of questions about her development (mainly in her younger life). She wrote her responses out for me and, therefore, I thought I'd share them with my readers. Although these responses don't say much about who she is nor much about the numerous incredible things she has done, they provide just a quick glimpe into the life of this wonderful lady:
One of the most important aspects of my development was the fact that my parents encouraged my independence as far back as I can remember. They never made me feel that I couldn't do something. If my siblings and I wanted to do something our parents always said, "If you believe you can do it go ahead." This was anywhere from painting a chest of drawers at age six to redecorating and wallpapering the house at age fourteen. Our parents always treated us with respect as if we had good sense even when we probably didn't!
At age eighteen I got married because that is what girls did back then. I learned the hard way that infatuation does not necessarily create a good marriage. After five years I was divorced. Later, I remarried a man that I was not infatuated with but whom I respected. He was a trustworthy and stable partner who respected and encouraged me in my own pursiuts. This marriage has lasted 34 years.
Up until I was five years old my brother and sister and I played the same types of games such as cowboys and indians, cops and robbers, and chase. There didn't seem to be any differences made between girls and boys during those years. However, when I was five years old I started to first grade and quickly learned there was a difference between girls and boys. There were girls bathrooms and boys bathrooms and a kid could get into big trouble if he or she went into the wrong one. Also, I began to notice there was a differenec made in attitudes toward boys and girls. Girls were expected to sweep and clean the blackboard while boys were asked to bring in wood for the wood stove and climb up and let the windows down from the top.
From as far back as I can remember, growing up my mother took us to church at least every Sunday. By the time I was in high school I was given the choice of going to church or not and I chose to do so. However, over the years I have come to believe that one does not have to enter a building and meet with other people to worship God and be a Christian. Therefore, I do not attend an organized church now.
When I was young, we lived in a rural setting where almost everyone was in the same social class. None of us had a lot of money but my family and all my friends were comfortable and happy and did not realize there were so many things we did not have. I was grown before I really saw the differences between the "haves and the have nots." Travelling to other countries and working with people of various social classes has made me realize that all men are not created equal. They are created in a social class that is almost impossible to escape from.
Education was always of foremost importance for all of my childhood. My mother had a master's degree, her two brothers did as well (which eventually became Ph.D's), and her father was a doctor. I always knew the pressures to get a good education yet they never really seemed pressuring. My mother was a teacher and it was a given that I could go to college after high school. I never gave a thought to not going to college. I just didn't realize that I would be spending twenety-two years in school! Education does not stop with the end of the classroom setting. To make life worthwhile, education should be a never ending process. Education keeps ones life from becoming stagnant.
I have been employed since I was seventeen. Early jobs were understandably low wage as I had not completed my education. However, I always felt that my jobs were important and should be done well. With every job, I advanced as much as was possible. I always kept higher goals in sight until I have finally realized my dream of being a self-employed professional. Money is very important in ones choice of employment, but even more important is ones satisfaction and enjoyment of his or her profession.
posted by Holly at 1:50 PM
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