parents
The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.
One of the Angels of this earth
I know a lot of people will write about their moms in this competition, and as much as I’d like to be different and stand out, I just can’t help myself but think of my mother first thing when someone mentions inspiring women. My mother, Ana, had me and my older siblings by the age she was 23. She was born in a small town in Montenegro and had only known how to speak serbian. Life in former yugoslavia was hard and getting a degree, which my mother did, didn’t seem to pay off. She decided she wanted a better future for her kids. While she was taking care of us and saving money my father was in Germany doing some shady business to get money, where he also would later go to jail, which is a stoy of its own. However this story is not about the disappointing men in the world. When my mom was 27 years old, she took me and my siblings and went off to Sweden. She couldn’t speak any english, let alone swedish. She was determined to get a better life for us to the point where she left everything she ever knew in her hometown, her family and friends and without ever traveling she went off to the country where her kids later on in life would call home. The road wasn’t straight and there were many obstacles but my mom never failed being there for us and providing when needed. She came to Sweden speaking no swedish or english, and found 3 jobs which she would constantly work at to be able to provide food and clothes for me and my siblings. She lost her younger sister during our first year in Sweden, and although that broke her heart she kept on fighting for us and moving forward. After our first 3 years in Sweden we were sent back to Montenegro to wait for our visa and had to spend a whole year there living 9 people in my grandmoms place which has 2 bed rooms. My mom never stopped fighting for us and she never gave up even though she didn’t know how the road was going to unfold. She is to this day the strongest, warmest and most stubborn person I know and if I have kids of my own one day I hope I too can be that good of a role model to them as my mother was for me and my siblings. She gave us the best life I could imagine and although we grew up without our dad ai never in my life felt that something was missing. I’ve had clean clothes, food on the table and a roof over my head. Right now I am in Australia and working to be able to save money to buy a ticket for my mom to come here, she has done so much for me that I feel like she would deserve something big back to her.
By Marija Garda6 years ago in Families
Mothers
Sometime ago, I read a quote by Bhagwan Rajneesh, an Indian spiritual teacher, who said that “The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” IMHO Rajneesh nailed it!
By Marie Campbell6 years ago in Families
The Mother
This month celebrates something I'm very passionate about: Appreciation for women. There are MANY women in this world I admire, strangers, friends, and family all alike. And today I want to talk about my mother. Actually, I want to talk about all mothers.
By Hope Martin6 years ago in Families
How my Dad became my Bestfriend
Hello readers, my name is Michael St. Peter and I am from a very small town in Northern America. I grew up in a lower middle class home, was a very quiet kid. My mother was a CNA and my Father was in the military, and also worked as an electrician at the time. I had a fair childhood, did okay in school, but I went through something that I believe most can relate to. My parents divorced when I was just 12 years old, I remember feeling angry, sad, and very unsure of what was going on at this point in my life. My mother moved away from our home town to a town 15 miles away where she met an amazing man named Chad, who is now my step father. My dad stayed in our home town, and met a lady named Jeanne. Growing up my dad liked to drink, a lot more than what he could handle. He would get drunk and fight with my mom for hours while I watched. This new girl he met loved to drink, and made his drinking worse. When I was 14 my dad was drinking to the point of alcoholism, he would yell at me whenever I would visit him, get in my face, and all I could do is stand there and take it. I was scared every time I went there to visit fearing that if I said something that he did not want to hear from that he would mentally shoot me down with his yelling. Him and Jeanne got into fights and she was hitting and abusing him on the daily. I still believe to this day he took all of that anger from her out on me, I eventually would start speaking up to him and we got into a couple fights. I felt trapped, and that I could not escape, it got to the point where he was hiding his alcohol in different spots and every time he "used the bathroom" he would come out more and more drunk than before he went in. One night me and my sister were over there for the weekend and he was the drunkest I have ever seen him. He was yelling at me and trying to challenge me to a fight even if I said one word to him, I sat there quite while the onslaught of words and spit hit my face until I had enough. I got up and said "I'm walking out of here and I do not want to see you ever again!" I walked out and ran to a nearby store where I used there phone to call my grandfather to come get me, and after 15 minutes he was there. When he showed up he hugged me, tears dripping down his shirt, he comforted me and said it would be okay and that my father had a lot of learning to do and needed help. I did not see my father for 5 months after that, no contact at all. When it was time to see him again it was awkward, we stared at each other for a solid minute then he asked how I was doing, and I said good. He hugged me for a solid 5 minutes, and said sorry for what he had put me through mentally and physically and said he was getting help and therapy. My father has been sober since June 6th, 2017, our relationship has healed into something beautiful. We talk everyday now and we play disc golf together and do a lot of things together. I love my dad and I always have, I just wanted him to be the father I wanted growing up, and most importantly to be okay and happy. He left his ex girlfriend Jeanne and met a wonderful lady, my step mom Leslie, and she is the greatest thing that has ever happened to him. He is so happy and I am so happy that I have him in my life in such a positive way now. My father is a strong man, he overcame the addiction for his kids, and for everyone that he was toxic to. If anyone out there is struggling with a parent that is addicted to anything, please seek out for help for them, talk to me, talk to someone. There is light at the end of the tunnel and there are happy endings. Live life to the fullest with no regrets or hatred to others and accept everyone, treat people like you would like to be treated and remember if you are suffering from something whether it addiction or mental health there is help for you, seek it, YOU are amazing and life is amazing.
By Michael St Peter6 years ago in Families
My Mum, who never gives up
I’m writing on behalf of my mum, Julia. I’m using her iPad. I’m sorry. I have her password. She tells me everything. I wanted to tell you a story. When I was born (see above), my Mum gave up her career. She was a Director of Advertising for Hearst UK. But, being married to an ‘Airline Training Captain’ she realised that I needed her constant love, as I had no one to care for me if she wasn’t there. She gave up everything. She loved me so much that nothing else mattered to her. My father was gone a lot. He travelled all around the world and she figured there would be no one there for me. So, she gave me her all. She left her career and is always struggling to find money from the allowance my father gives her. But she doesn’t care. She gives me her best effort, and last pence. In fact, she’s broke. But it doesn’t matter. I never had a school event that she didn’t go to. I always looked to see someone there, and there she was....always smiling and waving me on. Throughout my years at school, I ended up going through a very difficult time. I was bullied about my weight. I was harassed when I came out as Gay. My Mum was always there to protect me, encourage me, and love me. I remember her response to my sexuality; she said, ‘it doesn’t matter who you love, or how you love, as long as you love...if you accept that, I’m always so proud of you’ and I thought back to when I tried to commit suicide and realised, I wanted to live. I fought through my time at school with the message my Mum always told me: Always do what you love, believe your life is precious....and no matter what you choose, I believe in you. Your choices are my choices...because I trust in your heart.’
By Julia Smethurst6 years ago in Families
Sos for Moms: Balance Your Work and Parenting Right Without Guilt!
If you are a mom who has finally taken up your job back from where you left during pregnancy, then we know the amount of guilt you always feel! Though there’s nothing wrong in picking up the threads of your career after motherhood, but you feel guilty every moment you stay away you’re your baby – and you cannot help it. No matter how much time you’d be spending with your baby during the weekend and how much extra work you’d be managing during the break time, you’ll always be stressed about an imprecise balance between your work life and mom life!
By Lauren Williamson6 years ago in Families
The Mothers in Me
I used to think it was cliché saying becoming a mother was the hardest and most rewarding experience all rolled into one. Mostly because I couldn't comprehend how I'd feel and react to how much my life was going to change. Six months ago my beautiful daughter was born, I was overwhelmed with the amount of love I felt for her, it was intense. I grew jealous of others coming over to visit my new bundle of joy, I didn't love them holding her and grew quite sad because I wanted her in my arms. I even got jealous of when my partner cradled her to sleep. Though internally, I'd become so used to carrying her for 9 months, it just didn't feel right not having her on my person after the matter.
By Beccy Fossey6 years ago in Families
Parents Must Love the Good and the Bad Kids
Last night I met Holden Caulfied. Alive and well Living in Texas. Let me explain. As parents, we are guilty of labeling kids. We witness certain behaviors. We label our children’s friends a “good kid” or a “bad kid.” Most of us have said, “I don’t want you hanging out with that kid!” My fatherly instinct is to protect my children. At the same time, I know I must allow them to navigate their own path — successes and failures.
By Jeff Livingston6 years ago in Families
Rising to the Middle with Grace
The lady who has been the biggest inspiration to me is my mom. She's not a famous actress. Nor a movie star. She's not a recording artist or a millionaire. She is however, mine. I unfortunately have to share her with two other siblings, but it's okay. Life has taught me how to share. My mom has been my inspiration not because she taught me how to rise and be on top but because she's always inspired me to rise and hit the middle and through watching her land in the middle or just barely above ground has helped me see that there's hurdles that she couldn't jump that she left for me and it's up to me to jump these hurdles and lift her up, to help her climb over. My mom showed me how to get beat up. How to get knocked down. How to stay humble and Rise when people say you'll never amount to anything. My mom taught me how to smile in the face of adversity and believe in a greater power. She has shown me that her unequivocal unshakeable undeniable faith In the universeIs what gets you to a place of joy and happiness. A place without fear or torment? It allows you to have $3 in your pocket, a black in your hand and no lighter. It allows you to be at peace with yourself when no one calls for days to see if you're alive. When you have fallen and you wonder universe how am I going to get up and make it to the bed? It's because of her that I believe that I am enough. And I am so much enough that this world doesn't deserve the privilege of belittling me and putting me down or making me feel like less than who I am. I am someone special. I am magnificent. I am that special person that our higher power ntended me to be. And when I am looking through her eyes I see how wonderful I am and the potential that I have to do great things. For years, I watched my mom work tirelessly at 2 jobs trying to keep food on the table. Trying to keep a roof over our head. I saw how to cheat the electrical system by plugging an electrical cord up to your neighbors power because you couldn't afford to pay your own electric bill and you had to use someone else's energy because you couldn't afford to get your lights back on. I know what it feels like to have to boil hot water to take a bath. I know what it's like to go to a food pantry and eat beans for a week. And when everybody says you stink you realize it's because you're gassy from the beans that you've been eating all week and the fart smell has absorbed into your clothing hasn't been washed in a week. Because of my mom I made a personal vow to myself to do better, to be better. Not because I don't love her but because I watch her struggle and I realized I don't want that for me or my children. I don't want my legacy to be pinto beans, Baked beans, Navy beans, flour, water and unleavened bread. Syrup wish sandwiches and stale crackers. And for those of you who have never heard of a wish sandwich you have bread, Syrup and you wish there was something else to put in between. I strive for greatness not because I necessarily want to achieve it. It's because I want to be able to share it with the people that I love. People who've always dreamed of being admired and of having an overflow or an abundance of money, nice things, fancy cars, and big houses. I am completely content being poor, broke I don't mind not having money because what I cherish more than anything money can't buy. And that's love. But if it takes me acquiring lots of money in order to obtain the love that I so desire that my soul longs for then universe I pray to thee let me be rich. I am currently an up-and-coming author. When you hear the name Itasca Bryant, please remember this story. Buy the book not because you feel sorry for me. But because you want to feel the love that I put into my writing and you want to help me accomplish my dream. My dreams of acquiring more love and helping others feel loved. Support me because you want to support the universe and the potential that it holds when my words are shared.
By Itasca Bryant6 years ago in Families
