Our office is filled with moms who put in full work days, but also make time for their kidlets.
Now, I know Mother’s Day has gone by the board, but one can never miss an opportunity to pay homage to moms, or mums as some spell it.
Hardly a day goes by without one of these women providing us with some hilarity that focused on something their kids may have said or done. I encourage them to write it down and record these moments, so it can be used as ammunition at a future wedding or anniversary.
So these continuing episodes of frustration, humour, agony and strange reactions from unpredictable kids, had me in recall mode around Mother’s Day.
What triggered my thought was the simple question: What was the best advice you ever got from your mother?
I had to think hard.
Mom never had that much time to spend with my sister and me. She worked full time as a photographer with a busy studio and retail store.
I remembered her lamenting that she missed most of our so-called precious moments, such as taking a first step or learning how to ride a bicycle.
But neither I, or my sister, shared these regrets. We appreciated the fact we could always count on mom being there when we really needed her. The priority lists were different.
She regretted not seeing first steps or the original tying of a shoelace.
We remembered other things, like the time she assured me I wouldn’t be going to jail if I didn’t have enough money to pay the fine I was going to get for stunt driving.
She always seemed to be there to make things comfortable for our friends who liked to come to our home. It was a talent she had that I never completely understood, since she often went out of her way to make sure I was very uncomfortable. As I went along, I realized it was for a purpose. Good friends are precious commodities.
She was also a great cook/baker, although she rarely got to practice that art. The taste of some of her whipped-up experiments, linger in my mind to this day, including her infamous pink pie. My sister inherited those skills, and I suppose to some degree, simply by osmosis, I got a bit. too. When I’m in bachelor mode I do not fear roasting a turkey or slapping a pot roast in the oven. I’m well past the fried egg or cereal post. Of course the bride is responsible for some of that education too.
But, best advice?
I had to think about that, and while I was pondering, I rather absent mindedly picked up a news magazine and started to read.
That was it!
“Read to learn, read to be entertained, but make sure you read,” she had told me.
She realized early on that her son was not going to be winning any academic scholarships, but that didn’t have to stop me from reading and learning.
Even when she was dogged tired, my mom would feel it was a day wasted if she didn’t read at least a few pages of a novel, biography or news magazine article.
When she learned I was heading into the world of reportage, she was pleased because she knew my chances of living up to her edict, would be enhanced. I would need to read out of necessity if I was going to keep a job.
“If you read, you know that occasionally, you’ll pick up something that will be useful or at least interesting,” she said.
Good advice mom. Thanks.
