??People don’t seem to fully appreciate their parents until they become adults.
This rings particularly true when I think about my mom.
She used to say, “I may have to love you, but I don’t have to like you right now,” when she was upset with us, and the saying often rang true on both sides.
Our struggles began when I was very young.
I was defiant, bossy and ready to pout at the first sign I would not be getting my way. I was and still am very much like my mother.
Later in life, as a teenager, I thought my mom was always wrong and that somehow I, in my 16 years on this planet, had somehow gained more knowledge than she had in her 40.
Once I went off to college and lived on my own, there were fewer day-to-day things for us to disagree upon. We still managed to hold differing opinions on a number of fundamentals — politics and religion in particular — but we began to find a way to respect the other’s beliefs despite how crazy they may sound.
Now, as an adult, I’ve found the more I experience, the more my mother and I can relate.
She gives me advice on marriage, how to cook our family recipes and seems to have accepted the fact that any grandchildren from me will have four legs, be furry and not speak English.
We still don’t agree on everything, but now we understand that’s OK.
Being a mother is a tough, and at times thankless, job. My mother is a stronger woman than I am — giving birth to two children, raising four — and for this I will always be grateful. It’s too bad it takes us so long to understand that even if we don’t agree with our parents, they are always looking out for our wellbeing.
On Mother’s Day, I thank my mom for dealing with a sassy little girl, enduring my teen years when I knew everything and now continuing to nurture me as I create my own home and family. I love you, mom.
