Honest, selfless, strong, hilarious, driven, fearless, independent, self-confident, intelligent, genuine, giving, inspirational, compassionate, kind, humble, strong-willed, creative, resilient, loving, wise, supportive, goofy, positive, crafty, empathetic, stunning, hardworking, generous, caring, unnecessarily kind, and a teacher.When college women of UC Davis were asked to describe their mothers with single adjectives, these were some of their answers.
Being busy college students working hard to pursue our education, we may forget to take the time to express our gratitude. As Mother’s Day approaches, a thank you is due.
For most of us, our mothers and mother figures significantly shape our lives. For most of us, our mothers were some of the first role models that we are exposed to. Not only were they our first role models, but our first role models who were also women.
As young children we literally and figuratively looked up to them. For guidance, for help, we looked at our mothers in fascination and admiration. We look to our parents as models of character and of spirit. But our mothers serve as something else as well, as our first representation of the existence and importance of womanhood.
Whether it was telling you about feminine hygiene products the first time you got your period, teaching you to stand up for yourself and your ideas, teaching you that you can dare to be different, reminding you that you are beautiful when you don’t believe it yourself, teaching you that being female does not make you weak, our mothers were our first teachers, and perhaps the most important.
As we grew older, other female idols may bear influence on your sense of self, but let us not forget how our mothers have shaped our perceptions of what it means to BE a woman.
No mother is the same. No mother acts in the same way. No mother dresses in the same clothes. No mother teaches the same lessons to her daughters. No matter their differences, our mothers serve to shape our initial ideas of what it means to be a woman and how to embrace that in ourselves and in each other.
This Mother’s Day, think about how your mother has helped you become the woman you are. Embrace her value as mother, as a friend, as a woman and as a teacher.
To all mothers, whoever and wherever you may be, thank you for everything and understand what you mean to your daughter. From our HC at UCD family to yours, happy Mother’s Day.