Moms – the Elemental Gear

If one “gear” in the average family makes the whole thing work, it’s most likely Mom.

Moms are predictable, dependable, stable. She’s the first face to smile at us when we’re born, and she’s often the last face we see when we’re tucked in at night. She’ll kiss our skinned knees, cook us chicken noodle soup when we’re sick, and help us with our homework (but never do it for us).

Mama polar bears fast for eight months while they feed their cubs in their dens; mama orangutans never lose physical touch with their babies for four months. But when it comes to love and a willingness to give, nothing in the animal kingdom holds a candle to what our moms do for us.

There’s a reason that athletes or people in a crowd always seem to say, “Hi, Mom,” when they’re staring into a camera. There’s a reason that Americans spend nearly $20 billion every Mother’s Day. …

In many ways, moms make us who we are, for better or worse. Studies suggest that moms have more influence on us than anyone else, and their influence is particularly strong when we’re young and our brains are still incredibly pliable. They help determine what we think is right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy. …

And even when we’re no longer holding their hands to cross the street, mothers still, in many respects, point the way forward.

Jim Daly, in When Parenting Isn’t Perfect