Happy Mother’s Day! This post is dedicated to all the gifts that mothers give that I’m not certain a child can ever repay. I’m not a parent, so I don’t know if it’s possible. My mother is the most amazing and intelligent and funny woman you’ll ever meet. She’s beautiful and confident and loving. I am fortunate enough to say that she has given me everything I have ever needed and wanted, while teaching me the meaning of the word, “no.” Here are some of the gifts and memories I hold in my heart forever.
- The gift of gab.
My mother was never silent around me as a kid. She was always talking. She spoke to me when I was babbling as if it were a true conversation. She took me around our house teaching me the names of everyday objects. As I got older, she taught me how to speak up for myself, and I only asked her for help if I felt I couldn’t handle a situation on my own. Though those instances were present, my mom always taught me to solve my own problems first. She taught me that my words were powerful and so were hers, and for the most part, I always listened to her directions 😉
I speak for myself now because she taught me to. I speak for a living because she enabled me to do so. - The value of a girls’ day.
There is nothing like a day with your mother to make you happy and feel true joy. Getting her undivided attention during our favorite activities was incredible. Whether we were shopping and getting our nails done or sitting at home with ice cream and a movie, being treated as my mother’s equal was and is the best feeling in the world. - The ability to get creative.
My mother took me to my first show at three years of age. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire show. I was enrolled in dance lessons around the same time, as well as day camps and sleep-away camps where I could dance and act and figure skate. She let me be creative, which I learned from her. How many other moms, in an effort to get children to come in from playing in the snow, actually scoop up snow in metal mixing bowls and tell us to come in so we could decorate them with food coloring? Her kids didn’t miss the chance to play outside OR get sick from being outside for too long–all thanks to her creativity. I hope it carries into my speech therapy activities. - Simple comfort.
I have a very special memory of my mother and I, snuggled together in my twin-size canopy bed. I was around five or six, and we had both had a tough day. In order to make us both feel better, my mom came into my room and slept with me in my bed that night. She sang to me, and read to me, and held me close. Only now can I fully appreciate that night. Now, when I’m upset, I still want those times back when my mom let me crawl into her bed. Nothing mattered beyond the confines of the bed, just the comfort in that space. - Life lessons.
I still tell my mom she “doesn’t get it,” to this day. And I am still wrong. She has lived through this part of her life already and she is always right. She’s taught me so much about so much, and her life lessons always prove true. Trust yourself, do what you know is the right thing, and so many more. - Unconditional love.
My mom loved me through every high and low of my life. She still does. She listens to me cry and stress and laugh and celebrate everything as it happens now. This was just as true when I was under her roof. We fought like all mothers and daughters fight. We’re far from perfect, but we’re perfectly us. And we have always loved each other, and we always will.
My challenge to you is to make a list of your favorite memories with your mother. See what you each remember and value, and take that walk down memory lane. It’s amazing what you’ll unearth as you’re talking.
Keep playing with words and see what your message creates!
–Stef the StageSLP
Speech To Stage 