Happy Mother's Day Mom

(I just realized it has been about 2 years since my last blog post! Yikes!)

You see, growing up as a Lao (Southeast Asian) – American child, I often grew up misunderstanding my mother’s intentions towards me. Mom would say silly things like, “If you let a guy touch your hand, you can get pregnant.” (I know, I know … I know! But it’s kinda true!) After middle school I finally learned about sex education and discovered that that is not how you get pregnant exactly. (I’m having an Adam Sandler “Waterboy” moment here LOL). Mom said the darnest things to instill fear in hopes of preventing us kids from making a very poor choice.

Every day, not just once a year, I’m reminded of the hard work, struggles, trials and triumphs my mother endured to see that I have an opportunity to succeed in life. Just about every parent’s hope is that their child/children will live a better life than they did. Mother’s day is a day to honor my mother’s resilience, hard work, struggles, victories, accomplishments, but most importantly my mother’s love for me. If her life was not about raising and protecting me, I would not be the mother I am today. I am the mother I am to my son today because I had a mother who cared for me beyond measure, who loved me in the midst of my stubbornness and rebellion, who cared about my future existence enough to go out of her way to stop me in my tracks of making the wrong decisions … (Oh yes she did, I’ll share over a cup of coffee should you want to know).

So today this daughter wants to say “sorry mom. I didn’t understand when I was a little girl, but now that I’m a woman and a mother, I understand now. I love you even more today for being an example of perseverance, resilience, boldness, courage, and a force to be reckoned with! I hope and pray that I will live a life that you can be proud of. If anything, I hope to be half the woman you are!" (Mom, I already know what your response is to this statement is: You need to be the woman I am and more because you need to be better! LOL … yes mom, I will be better!)

Happy Mother’s Day Mom! Thank you for teaching me that giving up is not an option for a mother. I love you!