Published: May 13, 2008 01:41 am            

Monica Green: Mothering love goes a long way

Well it’s Mother’s Day. I debated what to write about for this week’s column. First, I thought that I might write about my grandmother, my mom’s mother who passed away several years ago. But then I remembered I already had.

My second option was thinking of all the embarrassing stories about my mother I could. I shot down that idea pretty quickly though when I thought of how angry she might be at that. Instead I’m just including a picture of the wonderful woman who birthed me. I hope she doesn’t kill me for this!

Every child thinks her mother’s the best, and I am no different. After mom had me she never had peace in her home again. My brother was born when I was 4, and my sister followed two years later.

I grew up for four years as an only child, and I have many wonderful memories of time spent alone with my mother, who worked for a bit but then took a break to raise her children.

She lovingly gave every ounce of her time to whatever her children needed, as I’m sure every mother does. This column is to honor her, and all the mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers in the world, for the love they give to their children.



The wonders of motherhood

In honor of Mother’s Day I went down to Heritage Trails Nursing and Rehabilitation and chatted with five wonderful mothers about the gift of being a mother.

All the mothers, who are all also grandmothers and great-grandmothers, that I spoke to said they believed one of the most important things about being a mother is loving your children.

“A lot of love goes a long way,” said Mildred O’Keefe, who had four children. “If you show love, they’ll show it back.”

Reba Nobles, mother of six, grandmother of 21 and great-grandmother of 25, said the love children show her is the best part of being a mother and grandmother.

“It’s such a special bond,” Nobles said.

Betty McCaig said that loving your children and being there for them is the most important part of being a mother. She has five children, two grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

“I have five girls, and I wouldn’t trade for any of them,” she said.

It’s obvious that loving your children is the easiest part of being a mother. But I wanted to know what the hardest part of the job was.

Nobles and O’Keefe both said it was when they were sick or hurting.

“Especially when they’re little because you don’t know what’s wrong with them,” O’Keefe said.

Jeanette Trussell and Betty McCaig both said that letting children go was the hardest part.

Helen Ward, mother of one, grandmother of six and great-grandmother of one, had a different take on the hardest part.

“I worked when my baby was in diapers,” Ward said. “I liked working. I hated to go to work, but I knew I had to. Not knowing if who I’d leave [my son] with would treat him right was hard.”

Most of the women I talked to wanted to know if I had any children. I thanked them for asking but told them I had not had any yet. I did ask them, though, what their advice would be for new mothers.

Again the subject of loving your children arose, as each woman expressed that as an essential part of being a mother.

“I think being a mother is one of the most important things a woman can do,” Nobles said. “Her blood feeds and nourshes the baby. What she does affects the baby’s well-being.”

Trussell shared the same feelings, saying that being a mother is “the most pleasant thing you could do. I thank God everyday for my kids.”

“I love being a grandmother and mother,” Ward said. “I had one son and helped raise grandchildren. I prayed to the good Lord that I never had anymore.”



A century of love

This year marks 100 years of the Mother’s Day celebration. In 1908, Anna Javis requested her church in Grafton, W.Va., to hold a special Sunday service in honor of mothers.

By the next year, churches in 46 states partook in the celebration. West Virginia was the first state to declare an official Mother’s Day in 1912. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson established the national Mother’s Day.

A proverb I once heard said that “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”

This day we honor mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers across the world. Remember to tell yours that you love them. Happy Mother’s Day!

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.