Let's face it, there's no other person in the world that has made a greater impact on who you are than your mother. Even if you don't have a close relationship with her as an adult, she was there during your formative years. She's the one who introduced you to your first tastes of food, cheered your efforts at crawling and walking, showed you how to use a crayon, and read you bedtime stories. She's also the one who changed your dirty diapers and introduced you to the joys of potty training.
It's mom's taste in clothing that helped you develop your own preferences. If you liked how she dressed you, her style was emulated. If you hated her choice of clothes then you rebelled and wore things she would never dream of buying. Whether you liked her taste in music or not, no self-respecting teenager would ever listen to the same music as her mom and so you discovered new music on your own. As you watched her socialize, you learned about dealing with people and the type of individual you liked or disliked. Like it or not, you are largely her creation.
That's why we celebrate Mother's Day. It's time to let Mom know how much we appreciate her influence in our life and give her a little mothering in return. If you are the father of young children and are reading this, it's also the day to show your wife how much you appreciate the influence she has on your children. At each stage of motherhood, a woman has different responsibilities and, consequently, different personal needs. I'll take you through a day of menus and we'll talk about the special things you can do to mother Mom at each of three stages: a mom to young children; a mom to school age kids; and a mom to adult children.
