A Mother's Magna Carta

With Mothers’ Day in the offing, I got to thinking about, uh, mothers. This brought to mind one of my favorite quotes (author unknown): “All mothers are working mothers.” Amen to that! How uncanny is it that without vocational training or instruction, mothers have a universal set of, well, motherly aptitude. The highest order motherly trait is unconditional love. From president to ax murderer, no matter what, a mother loves her kid.

Mothers universally tell their kids to sit up straight, drink their milk, do their homework and that they can be anything they want to be. Mothers can give looks that say a thousand words—and read thoughts that cannot be expressed in words. Mothers have magical powers where a smile can right any wrong and a hug make all the difference. 

Last year on Mothers’ Day, my kids posted a set of rules, a magna carta of sorts, on the refrigerator door. (Yes, of course I saved the list—I’m a mom after all!—and pulled it out the other day to honor the anniversary of their ratification.) The rules read as follows:

• No hitting
• No pushing
• No kicking
• No food fights
• Yes, kiss mom
• Yes, hug mom
• No photos without mom
• No bad manners
• Have fun
• Follow the rules

I’m not sure just what these rules say about my parenting skills, but am steadfast in my belief of the loving intentions behind the list. How about you? What would your magna carta say?

Cathy

By blogger Cathy Benko, Deloitte LLP

Comments

[Lucille in Summit]

I have two sets of twins (14yr olds and 4 yr olds), mine looks like this posted to the fridge:

-No milk, juice and/or water after 8pm, and yes that mean all of us.
-No giving Mom attitude
-Ask Mom how her day was.
-Ask Mom if she took her medicine, if not remind her again
-Ask Mom to stop picking us up from school and have daddy drop off and pick-up (my 4 yr olds)
-Ask Mom for snacks before we climb on the chair to take them off the very high refrigerator

My kids had more on the fridge but kept adding and adding stuff daily and it drove me crazy.

Gotta love them, wouldn't trade my children for the world. Not even for my secret affair with Chocolate.

[Diane in Henderson]

No matter how old our children get, mine are 19 and 21, I still enjoy reading material such as what you have written. It stirs a part of my heart that wishes I could have spent every waking minute with them while they grew instead of working in my career. Life is such that this wasn't in my cards, but that doesn't mean than any women who wish to enjoy their children and give 110% to their career as Mom until such time that you feel its OK to expand to an outside career, should not take full advantage of that opportunity. Your profession will be there long after those precious moments of childhood are long gone so ENJOY! Mother's Day, its every day of the week if you are a Mom.