Me Thinks

I read some great things about mothers yesterday and want to share:

From Matt Sanders:

In every study of which I am aware, the mother-child parental relationship is paramount in a child's development.  Throughout the days spent overseeing a child's development into an able adult, one can easily imagine a mother offering tens of thousands of whispers into the ear of her child.  Her expert guidance includes these admonitions:  "say thank you," "share with your friend," "use good manners," "be kind," "show respect," "work hard," "never give up" and "you can do it."  These nonaccredited microlessons in "how to be a great human being" are delivered--often with heroic restraint and maddening repetitiveness--with an intimacy and timeliness that can not be substituted by any other individual or institution.  

To all mothers throughout the ages, no matter their circumstances, humanity owes you immeasurable gratitude for life, love and livelihood.  To my angel mother, thank you for your whispers that continue to shape my soul.


And from Jenet Jacob Erickson:

Maternal sensitivity is the strongest and most consistent predictor of a child's development.  Her emotional availability to her child, her ability to respond positively, without being overly intrusive, lays the foundation for children's social-emotional health and cognitive development for the rest of their lives.  In a hundred thousand small acts of care she literally forms the core of a child's sense of worth and capacity.  In spite of the popular belief that power is wielded through a "public voice," it is the private voice of a mother that shapes a generation.

While it is possible to recover from a painful childhood, memories of a happy childhood are a life-long source of strength.  It was the warmth of childhood--with its associated influence on a person's capacity to give and receive love--that predicted a happy and successful life.
(Both authors wrote articles in the Deseret News for Mother's Day, May 11, 2014)