[NOTE to the British: Do not be confused, you have not missed Mother's Day. We Americans are just fashionably later than you. :P]
Some of us are mothers and all of us have mothers in some capacity. Mother's Day is a day to reflect, honor, and remember them. The idea of mothers bring on different emotions and feelings. This poll was to extract those thoughts.
What does a Mother mean to you?
StArRy*DrEaMz
Mother's Day mean a lot to me just as Father's Day. The reason why is because I'm adopted. My father saved my life [he's a doctor] and wanted to adopt me and take me home to my mom and my 3 brothers. Without her today, I don't know where I'd end up. She's been there for me through thick and thin. She's is there for me during my sobbing hours, my bad emotional "hate my life, I don't want to live any longer" days. She's the ROCK of my life... I don't know what I'd do without her. Not every kid in this world has a mother that would bend over backward for their kids. There are mothers who abused their kids, leave them abandoned. But mine... She's not perfect to others but to me, she's the most perfectly imperfect mother i could ever EVER asked for. And I thank her every year for adopting me and taking care of me. I know I'm not an easy daughter but her love, is what keeps me going.
Dance4Catharsis
Well....
I am not sure if I am qualified to answer that now. I was basically an ungrateful dick to my parents for a dozen years, and I have been working on repairing that relationship. It is going well, and I am glad that I finally grew out of the crap that held me back and such. For an easy answer, though, I value that no matter how pissed we would get at each other, when it finally got to be too much it would usually climax in apologies and hugs, rather than resentment and disdain.
[Editor's note: Sounds to me like you've already reached great success in the repairs!!]
Amon
Well, Mother's day brings a lot of different emotions to me. My Mother passed away 5 days before my birthday two years ago (May 17th to be exact), so first and foremost, I am always reminded that I won't be able to celebrate it the normal way. However, It brings a lot of great memories, as well. My Mom pretty much raised me, b/c my Father died when I was 10, so of course, I was very close to her. Sure, we had our rough times, but all in all, I loved her very much. She was the one person who I could look up to....The person who taught me what it meant to be an adult, and 7 years ago, what it meant to be a parent myself. We may have had our differences at times, but I will NEVER forget her, and I will always love her.
frayed
Mothers truly are the glue of the world. They are what holds us together when it seems like everything is falling apart. Growing up, I didn't have a wonderful experience with my mother. However, I had many wonderful experiences with other mothers. Women with children of their own, who took care of me and held me together when I thought I would fall apart. As I've gotten older, things are getting better between me and my mother. We have our bad patches, and then we get over them. For the most part, most things have been reconciled. Now I have children of my own, and I get to share what I've learned from my experiences with all types of mothers. I think that's why I like celebrating Mother's Day so much. It's not so much the giving and receiving for me, as it is the reflecting on all my memories, good and bad, and feeling grateful that things have turned out as well as they have.
chaoz
To me our mothers are the most precious thing in family because without them and their love, I would not have been born. She gave me life therefore I am indebted to always show her love...though I would hardly think of it being a debt at all. To me it is a simple thing to show my appreciation to her not on just one day but every day.
Every family is different and circumstances are always at chance. Upon reflection I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have my mother, as my mother. My mother isn't perfect by any means, but I see that she did give her best to raise me from day one. What more can one ask? We're only human after all.
Repeatedly remind her that I always love her from the very bottom of my heart because unfortunately my other siblings are lacking in this. Siblings unfortunately got lost in the modern world and criticized my parents for it. Seeing as they've become ignorant and arrogant in their ways which saddens me, I've done my best to see to it that my mother is appreciated...though our family history is a complicated one but this only due to a lack of simple understanding.
So in the end, mothers are the most precious thing in my opinion because they encompass so much. Though they don't teach us everything, they always love us; they nursed, bathed, cared, gave, assured us till we could walk on our own. From there they became a guiding friend.
My story is a fortunate one, since my parents loved me from the day I was born into this world. So many are not so fortunate which saddens me. I love kids, but would actually adopt than have my own, because there are so many kids out there already that need our love.
Honoring mothers shouldn't be strictly reserved for one day but everyday of our lives. Within reason of course. They are not just a mother, a parent, they are our blessing.
Random
A mother means, to me, that there is someone out there who knows I truly do exist. A mother is someone in which you know supports you. My mother contributes to confidence in myself as a person psychologically and socially. Mothers (or at least mine) are the sculptors of children. They contribute greatly into what someone is molded into today. A mother is someone who cares and without one, I would be missing half of my heart, my brain, and my life.
(Also, if I didn't have a mother I'd not exist either ;) )
Otter
My wife as a mother - to me - means the one who would CHEERFULLY sacrifice every bit of herself for a single ounce of delight of her children... from her heart through her very hands. She is amazing.
My mother as a mother - to me - means the one who loves with her heart but not with her head.
moddedmama
So I was thinking about this...I do not have a close relationship with my mom, while we are friends, she is not the first place I turn to when I have a problem. There were a lot of things said and done when I was growing up, that prevent me from ever feeling a close relationship with her. While all has been forgiven, I cannot completely forget. I'll tell you what I wish my mother had been, and what my best friend is, as a mom of four, and what I strive to be as a mom to mine.
Someone you can turn to with any feelings or thought, and who will listen to you, without judging you, offer advice and then let you make your own decisions and mistakes. Someone you can talk about those mistakes with and not hear I told you so, and who will help you to learn from them. Someone who will be there for all the important days in your life, no matter how small it may seem to her. Someone to be happy with you, and hold you when you cry. Someone who makes you feel safe from the outside world, and yet pushes you into it from time to time. This isn't all but I think it's some important things, and perhaps most important, is to tell your children every day that you love them, especially when they get older, and you think they know it, they still need to hear it. Give them lots of hugs and kisses and cuddles when they are younger. Let them know they are loved and appreciated, and wanted.
Belphegorite
Mom means...that I still get a homecooked meal once a week even though I broke her heart by not finishing my degree.
T0Y
When I gave birth to my first child and I came home for the first time, my mother presented me with this little porcelain plaque. She said it was a replica of the one my grandmother presented her when she gave birth to my oldest sibling. All the girls for generations were presented these words after they gave birth.
The plaque reads: "Mütter halten ihre Kinder die Hände nur für eine kleine Weile. Ihre Herzen, für immer." Which is translated as: "Mothers hold their children's hands for just a little while...their hearts, forever."
Becoming a mother altered my perspective as to what a Mother is. I truly honor my mother because she not only gave me life, but she provided me with the ability to carry on with her mothering in my own children...if I am only half the mother she is, I'll be a good mother!! I am blessed and so will my children be...because of her. But the holding of my children's hearts forever...yes, I truly understand what that means and how that feels. Mothers will never cease to love, care, and teach their children. Their children's hearts are truly held forever by their mothers.
Larry
Mothers offer unconditional love. This is true regardless of whether we realize it or deserve it.