February 5th

Summary

The author reflects on the realization that not everyone has a close relationship with their parents, and expresses deep gratitude and admiration for their own mother's influence on their life, particularly in shaping their values, work ethic, and compassion.

Abstract

The content is a personal reflection where the author recounts their journey from naively assuming universal positive parent-child relationships to recognizing the prevalence of strained family dynamics through experiences in the military. Despite this, the author observes that many people overcome such challenges to become well-adjusted adults. The narrative shifts to a heartfelt tribute to the author's mother, acknowledging her as a role model who taught them vital life lessons, including humor, hard work, leadership, competition, and caring for others. The author credits their mother with instilling in them a sense of humility and compassion, using anecdotes to illustrate her influence, such as ensuring neighborhood children enjoy Halloween. The author is proud to introduce their mother to friends and colleagues, emphasizing her success and positive impact on those around her.

Opinions

The author initially held a naive belief that everyone enjoyed a strong bond with their parents, a view shaped by their own positive experiences.
Exposure to diverse backgrounds in the military revealed to the author the commonality of strained parental relationships.
Despite challenging upbringings, many people are able to grow into well-adjusted and successful individuals.
The author holds their mother in high regard, considering her a "bad bitch" and an exceptional figure in their life.
The mother's professional success and personal qualities, such as humility and the ability to inspire others, are greatly admired by the author.
The author learned the importance of compassion and community responsibility from their mother, as demonstrated by the Halloween anecdote.
Gratitude is a central theme, with the author expressing thankfulness for their mother's guidance and the balance she maintained between instilling values and allowing independence.

February 5th

I spent a regrettable amount of my life assuming that everyone had an amazing relationship with their parents. Unfortunately, sometimes the opposite is true. Of course, growing up I would meet the occasional classmate with apparent disconnection at home but it always struck me as the rare exception. It wasn’t until I grew up and joined the military that I understood how common something like this actually was. I’d meet so many different kinds of people from all over the United States, and even the world, that didn’t share my sentiments of being homesick or cherishing past moments with my family. This is something I’ve started to pay close attention to since discovering. Even people with supportive and caring parents would allude to a certain level of unfulfillment; whether it be disagreements stemming from religion or politics, unsavory traditions, taboo topics or maybe just a lack of overall warmth. Most of these people are living proof that estranged parents or an unideal childhood aren’t condemning circumstances. I can’t help but appreciate these men and women that have grown into well-adjusted adults. I honestly don’t know how I would’ve ended up without the love and guidance of my parents. Specifically, I wanted to take the time to show appreciation for my mom. It may get a little sappy, so no hard feelings if you stop reading here.

Simply put — my mom is the shit; or a “bad bitch”, if I may say. Her tremendous performance in her career led me to believe that there was no oppression or marginalization towards women. I know at this point, between being unaware of other people’s unfortunate homelives or being lost on the patriarchal clutches of society, it seems I may have been the most uninformed adolescent in the last 20 years and well. . . maybe I was. Despite this, I feel as though every compliment I’ve ever received is a commentary on all the values and lessons I’ve learned from my mom. She taught me how to be funny (still don’t have that one quite down), how to work, how to lead, how to compete, and how to care. I would’ve likely been an insufferable jerk had it not been for the humility she instilled in me. In some eyes, her success would give her every right to carry an air of arrogance but that’s just not her style. I relish in the stories of her inspiring her coworkers or employees, even to this day. She seems to effortlessly touch the lives of people from all walks of life. I learned compassion from my mom, especially in the little things. I remember a Halloween evening when my dad, brother and I were having a good time holed away from trick-or-treaters with the porch lights off. My mom got home and reminded us that the neighborhood kids probably looked forward to it ALL day and now we were one less house they got to visit. Yeah, I don’t skip Halloween anymore — expensive candy be damned. For too long I took for granted the lack of shame I had for my family. It was always so fun introducing my parents to my friends, coworkers, and girlfriends. I tried to take every opportunity I could to show the people in my life why I am who I am. Mostly I want to thank my mom for finding the perfect balance between teaching right and wrong and letting me find my own way.

Happy birthday, mom. Thanks for being my best resource.