Globe readers shared their personal stories — good and bad — about what Mother's Day means. ...Read the full article
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Richard Hawrelak from Canada writes: I was very touched by the warm, loving stories of wonderful mothers. I'd like to share you mine. Picture the time as 1939. In Sept., Canada declared war on Germany. My father was a thief and this time gave him the oportunity to enlist in the 49th Edmonton regiment to escape the law. I was 6 years old at the time and my mother was forced to go back and live with her invalid parents. She held down three jobs as a single mom to support us. She was a teacher, a cook in the family hotel business and she sold Life Insurance on the weel ends. After the war, they divorced and the court awarded me support throug university, if I maded that far. I received a sum total of $52 and the scum bag disappeared again. In the process of living in my grandparents home, I enjoyed three moms, two aunts (meddling aunts, as I lovingly call them today) plus my mom. These three lovely ladies taught me thrift, loyalty to family, honesty, respect to the opposite sex, education above all, sports will purify the body of other urgent needs. Having two sports minded uncles helped in the practical aspects. In short, family support was plentiful. With this background, I survived and I miss them all. My lessons learned will benefit my family because of my mom and her family.
- Posted 11/05/08 at 2:29 PM EDT | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Carolyn Bongiorno from Glenham, NY, United States writes: I can appreciate that not all the Mothers' Day recollections are good ones, and I thank the three who shared their bad experiences with troubled mothers. Not every mom is a sacrificing madonna, and indeed parenthood can be a burden.
I look forward to a future when only those women who truly desire to be mothers realize that possibility. God bless the adoptive mothers who give so much love and support to children in need. God bless all the caring and responsible mothers. Theirs is a true calling, and a gift.- Posted 11/05/08 at 3:47 PM EDT | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Emma Hawthorne from Canada writes: In the community of women whose mothers wouldn't or couldn't mother, you have to find mothers where you can. They too, are looking for you and are happy to help, to listen, be a sounding board or even offer advice, some of which might be very helpful. I think the depression, followed by WWII and horrific birthing practises in the 1950s produced a generation of women with a significant number of whom could not mother. They themselves were raised in violence, hatred, resentment of their existence and many passed that on as well, without apology. The 1960s, 1970s and 1980s produced more mothers of whom some could not mother due to abuse, untreated or improerly treated mental illness or drug abuse, but increasingly, I think the number is being reduced in an expanding economy with better public education, more efficacious services, plus men finally have gotten the message of how improtant and needed they are by their children. One good parent can be enough. However, you can be your own good mother. I often think of Jan Arden's song "The Good Mother" as being especially appropriate. Sometimes you can keep a failed mother in your life, possibly for a visit or two per year if they can function positively, but some families need to break apart so that lives can find renewal in others. Sometimes you have to let them go. Every child deserves to be loved and should be loved, but when that hasn't happened, its best see the defective mother and father as they are, and then seize the day to build a caring and loving life. Loving people will find you and you them. Happy Mothers Day to the good mother in us all. May we nuture ourselves and others as we wished to be nurtured ourselves.
- Posted 11/05/08 at 8:40 PM EDT | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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