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Mother’s Day Writing Contest Winners
Congratulations to our winners: Gaby (73 likes), Helen (72 likes), and Charlotte (71 likes)! It was so close! I wish everyone could have won something because every story is so special. Every memory. Every moment.
Every mother!
I so enjoyed reading these memories and reflections on mothers and memories from childhood that I’m thinking about writing some posts with memories of my childhood.
The idea also developed with an assignment from my photography class. For the final assignment, my professor said we can choose one subject and take 20 photos on that theme. My immediate choice (naturally) was my children. Then I began to wonder, “What kind of pictures should I take?”
The concept began to form: take pictures that coincide with my own childhood memories. Images began flooding into my mind. Eating ice cream while sitting on the back of a station wagon with my siblings, running through sprinklers, playing shadow tag, moving the lawn with a push-mower, pillow fights and raking leaves, fishing, jumping on a trampoline. So many iconic flashes. I hope I can capture them all.
More than that, I hope that my children are developing images of their own. I pray that special memories are forming in their minds, things they can carry with them always. To remind them of being loved.
Because no matter what else I might have to offer, or might not have … one thing I can unequivocally give my children, one thing we can all offer our children, is love.
The love of a parent. Imperfect, yes. But somehow unconditional. Somehow transcendent and beautiful and enduring. Even if it’s all we have to offer our children … it is enough.
The First Day of Preschool – Mother’s Day Contest Entry
The First Day of Preschool
By Sharada
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I would surf the internet for information on babies and children and what to expect from motherhood. I came across an interesting article that explained that the importance of early learning especially for infants and had flash cards for numeracy and reading skills. I was thrilled to come upon this information and started building high hopes and expectations of what I was going to do for my child. I was going to be this super mom, who would do flash cards right from infancy, never use disposable diapers, only feed her organic homemade food and basically be a perfect, flawless parent – creating a perfect, flawless babyhood and childhood for my soon-to-be-born baby.
Enter reality with childbirth and all my high aspirations went flying out of the window. My determination to not use disposable diapers didn’t last more than a few days. I couldn’t remember where the flash cards were, and used that as an excuse to not do them. And although my daughter’s first solid meals were all homemade, I relied on store-bought baby food later. I had settled to what I thought was mediocre parenting.
Then came the biggest and most painful decision of my life; I had to go back to work, leaving my nine-month-old baby at daycare. My ambitions for a perfect motherhood were crushed. What was worse was that those aspirations, dreams, and ambitions lingered in my mind and heart as failures. Although my beautiful daughter was friendly and cheerful and adjusted very quickly to daycare and the kids there, I constantly battled motherhood with feelings of incapacity, inadequacy and failure.
Two years passed and my little girl was ready to join preschool. I was confident that she would have no problems going to a new place and meeting new kids. She was always friendly and excited to see new people and never really showed separation anxiety. On the big day, in her new uniform and school bag and school shoes, her dad and I proudly walked with her to the new school.
When we kissed her and said bye she began to … CRY! We tried telling her about the fun things she would do and the new friends she would make. She calmed down a little but was still clearly upset. I couldn’t believe it and was heartbroken. The teacher asked us to say bye again and leave calmly so we did. As miserable as I was leaving her at daycare, I had a tiny consolation that she wasn’t going through separation anxiety and was happy. Now that she was upset and crying made it all the more difficult and painful for me.
But as I walked out of the gates, something happened. Seeing my daughter cry on her first day of preschool pushed something in me to be strong, not just for her but myself too. I realized this was life. I cannot predict or control everything. I could go to work feeling worried and upset for her, or I could go to work praying for her and feeling proud that my daughter has entered preschool. I could choose to be strong and positive instead of weak and sad.
That one change in thought brought a whole new outlook to my parenting and my view of me as a mother. I might not have had the opportunity to be with her at home fulfilling all those super mom dreams. But I made the most I could with every minute I had with her. I wasn’t able to do flash cards or other great early learning programs, but I managed to read to my baby every night. I taught her colors, numbers, shapes and the alphabet while juggling a full-time job and housework. I might not have taught my child to read by age two but I did imbibe in her an important love for learning. I did not have quantity but I did give her quality.
That day, as I walked out of the gates of that pre-school I realized I was a supermom! I just had to let myself feel it!
P.S. Six months after starting preschool, my daughter is well adjusted and happy!
About Sharada: I am a mother of a three-and-a-half year old girl. I am married to a caring and loving man and live in the UAE. I work as a Teaching Assistant in an American school and I love my job, but I love being a mom the most.
[Like this story on our Facebook page to help the author win Positive Parenting’s Mother’s Day Writing Contest! (You’re welcome to “like” it here too! :)]
My Lifetime Friend: My Mother – Mother’s Day Contest Entry Bonus
My Lifetime Friend: My Mother
By Wendy Lee Klenetsky: Proud Daughter Of Cecile Seigal
Throughout childhood and adolescent days,
She was my staunchest supporter,
And through teen years and young adulthood
I was glad to be her daughter.
As a mother-in-law and grandma,
She’s there whenever/wherever she’s needed,
And if this was to be her lot in life,
She’s definitely succeeded.
But whatever she is to other folks;
A friend, sister or other,
She is to me, and will always be
MY LIFETIME FRIEND: MY MOTHER!
About Wendy: I’m a 63-year-old wife of a great guy (40 years), and mom of two wonderful girls (both of whom married 11 weeks apart in 2013). Until old age hit, I was a 20-year league bowler. Now I’m a freelance writer, sweepstaker, knitter and crocheter. That’s me…in a NUTSHELL!
[Like this story on our Facebook page to help the author win Positive Parenting’s Mother’s Day Writing Contest!(You’re welcome to “like” it here too! :)]
It’s Always the Quiet Ones – Mother’s Day Contest Entry
It’s Always the Quiet Ones
By Lindsay Guido
This is my adorable mom 40 years ago. Throughout her entire life, she has sacrificed her own comfort to provide warmth, security and support to everyone in my family.
She spent countless hours caring for me when I was almost constantly sick as a child. She made special Halloween costumes by hand (the likes of which did not exist in the ‘80s.) Every birthday cake (made from scratch) had a special custom picture of my choosing made of frosting. Even my hideous corrective shoes got magical pictures of unicorns painted on them so I would feel better. During my childhood I had a pony, took yearly trips to Disney World and spent every day of the summer pretending to be a real mermaid in our own swimming pool. Hey everyone, you can stop being parents now … it’s been done to perfection.
Then onto my nightmarish and chubby teenage years where she assured me that I did not have “back fat” (though I clearly did), that I was pretty and nice, and that the bad things that came with adolescence were not my fault (though some of them obviously were.)
And now, even as I contend with complex adult problems, she continues to encourage me, to incentivize my successes and try to inspire me to embrace change.
We enjoy watching old Judy Garland movies and marvel at how far women have come since then. I should mention she also still becomes concerned when I try to eat a sandwich that is more than 24 hours old. She puts up with every stupid, selfish thing we all do without judgment or complaint.
Now her caretaking extends to my sister’s kids and her elderly parents. Yet she still finds the energy to rock out to “Just Dance” with the kids. With this kind of upbringing, I should be president by now.
But this for once is not about me.
Honestly, she deserves way more than a gift card, but it would be a nice start…
About Lindsay Guido: 34-year-old woman going thru a divorce. About to reinvent my life and go to college for the first time.
[Like this story on our Facebook page to help the author win Positive Parenting’s Mother’s Day Writing Contest! (You’re welcome to “like” it here too! :)]
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