Motherhood Changes a Woman

My dreams sometimes haunt me; and often when I watch the news, or read what is happening in the world around me, I am saddened by the sheer destruction that man-kind is capable of, but then, a glimmer of hope appears. My dreams are others' nightmares, filled with death, destruction and a descent into the deepest of graves.

Today's post is different. I don't want to focus on the monsters. Today I wish only to recall this moment of love, of beauty and of being able to still wish goodness upon this world.

When I heard about the women in Cleveland  held captive for years, and their ultimate escape due to the heroics of a man that was willing to help, it gave me hope. You see, when we are constantly barraged with negativity, it is easy to forget the beauty that continues to exist, and this beauty I re-discovered, when I heard the story about the lady who escaped and took her daughter with her. A daughter born in captivity.

I couldn't help what came out, as I pondered the idea of motherhood.

Motherhood changes a woman, not only physically but also mentally. Instead of worrying about ourselves, we become more family oriented; leaving the ratchet behavior behind, growing up and taking responsibility for the one(s) that we brought forth into this world. Now, I speak from a place of growth, for not all females have truly become women, understanding what it means to be a mother, but let me give you my humble opinion.

A mother is one that will go without to make sure her children have what they need. She will stretch a dollar to make it worth ten, providing all of the necessities for her child, protecting her child from harm like a lioness, and fierce in the face of danger or threat. It is here where the mother becomes the strongest of fighters; the best of negotiators and the mightiest of heroes.

A mother will always have the ear to listen to their child, comfort them during times of illness, discomfort or pain. She will tend to her child as a gardener, planting seeds of good seeds. For, what you put into a child, that is what you get out of it.

A mother is a fine-tuned machine, able to operate under the highest of stress, and while accomplishing the things on her to-do list, she will always have time for a wonderful hug, and butterfly kisses. Mothers are the gatekeepers to what our children become. We are the backbone of the family, able to make the world better by sharing a simple smile.

When I look at my mother, I can only hope one day to be as strong as she is; for even now, when I need to be comforted, I turn to the woman that has always been there and who continues to accompany me in this wonderful journey.

This weekend, instead of focusing on the toxicity that the news can sometimes focus on, let's focus on the heroes in our lives and start be thanking our mothers.

May your Mother's Day be profoundly blessed and filled with utter joy!

___________________

If you are in the Richmond, VA area, please stop by Regency Square Mall on Saturday, May 11 from 10-4, where Tina Glasneck will be hosting the Celebrate with a Book Author Book Signing and Reading. There will be a variety of genres present. To learn more about this event, please visit: www.celebratewithabook.com

_____________

Tina Glasneck enjoys looking on the darker side of things, and still finding a glimmer of hope. When she is not creating worlds, she can be found multi-tasking. To learn more about Tina, and to stay up-to-date on her works, please connect with her at www.TinaGlasneck.com or on facebook at www.facebook.com/TinaGlasneck

Hollywood’s Mind Games: Stop messing with Mom!

In honor of Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, I thought I might write about the masters of mind games: our moms, and the roles they play in our lives. It’s a theme that authors and movie-makers have capitalized on since man first started telling stories—books like Christine Crawford’s “Mommie Dearest,” which told of the abuse she suffered from her mother, Hollywood superstar Joan Crawford.  (Ironically, Crawford played a divorced mother desperate for her child’s love and approval in “Mildred Pierce,” Warner Bros., 1945.) “Mom” is often a significant character in fiction as well, for both adults and children.

Then I started thinking about those children’s stories and the famous moms in children’s literature who are missing, like Bambi’s mother, and Ariel’s mother (“The Little Mermaid,” Walt Disney Pictures, 1989). Littlefoot’s mother (“The Land Before Time,” Universal Studios, 1988) actually dies on screen! In case you forgot, here’s the clip, which, to this day, makes me well up.

I remember watching this and other animated movies when my children were small, my arms around them, as I waited for the part where I knew…I KNEW they’d kill off the poor mother. I’d cry out, “Why? Why did you kill the mother?!” and I’d sob as my children (boys) giggled at my grief.  “It’s just a movie, Mommy!” they’d say, scrambling to escape my ever-tightening clasp. 

And that’s not even touching on the dead mothers who are replaced by wicked stepmothers. Anyone remember poor Hansel and Gretel whose stepmother banishes them into the woods to be eaten by some witch, who just happens to eat children!? Then of course there’s Cinderella, Snow White…

Good grief, it never ends, all these kids’ stories featuring dead and dying mothers. What’s that about?

It’s about that universal mother connection. As of this writing, no human (that I know of) has been birthed via an artificial womb. We all have mothers, whether or not they’re still with us, whether or not we are/were close, and that universal connection makes for great story-telling.

Mothers evoke the greatest emotions, often conflicting, because the strongest emotions elicit the most extreme responses : love/hatred, joy/despair. (If you’re a mother or mother figure and have survived raising your children through their teen years,  you’ll understand that reference to hatred <grin>.)

References to mothers fill our modern-day lexicon: soccer moms, stage mothers, full-time mom, working mom, mama’s boy, even MILFs! 

I don’t believe any of us can separate ourselves from our mothers on an emotional level. We see them differently as we progress through life—life-giver, caregiver, pain in the backside, friend maybe, and if we’re lucky enough to follow them into their elder years, sometimes they become the recipients of our care. When they pass on (over, away…whatever term of death you prefer), we all lose something on an emotional level, and possibly even a cellular level.

So I understand the need of the story-teller to bank on that universal truth, but I really wish Hollywood would take a hiatus from killing off the moms for a little while. I mean, couldn’t the mom be on a nice, long extended spa vacation (even if it’s a euphemism for a padded cell)? Wouldn’t it make an even happier ending for the mom to show up unexpectedly for the wedding with Prince Charming?

Come on, Hollywood, give moms a break!

____________________________

Leah writes stories of romance and suspense, and the enduring power of love. She blogs monthly here with her friends at Words, Women, Wisdom about mind games. Her latest story, Christmas Dance, explores the mysteries of love, marriage and parenthood.

Visit Leah at www.leahstjames.com.