A Letter to My Mother

Dear Mom,

I have always loved you for everything you have done for me, but there are so many things I didn’t fully understand until I became a mom myself. Motherhood has made me appreciate you in a whole new way. Now that I have two children of my own to care for, I realize every day all the things – big and small – that you did for me growing up.

Thank you for not giving me everything I asked for.

Growing up, I thought I would die without that video game system, or that doll, or whatever the must-have toy was at the time. Now I know you were teaching me that you can’t always get what you want, and that going without would not kill me.

Thank you for sending me outside to play.

I remember sometimes complaining to you that I was bored. Instead of entertaining me yourself, or plopping me in front of the television, you sent me out to play. You taught me to use my imagination, to explore, and to find ways to entertain myself.

Thank you for encouraging me to read.

I remember one day you told me that it was time to read my first novel. I didn’t believe you – I thought there was no way I could read a whole book by myself. You gave me The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I remember the amazing sense of accomplishment I had when I finished that first book. You made me a reader that day!

Thank you for telling me you loved me, EVERY DAY.

I always knew I was loved, no matter what. You taught me that it’s important to express our feelings, and to let our loved ones know how much we care about them.

For all these things and more, thank you, Mom. You taught me how to be a good mother, before I ever became one. And now that I am a mother, I try every day to live by the example you set for me.

To you, and to all the wonderful mothers of the world, Happy Mother’s Day!

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