One of the most celebrated people in this world, no doubts, are mothers and today’s post is not going to be any different. In the spirit of the recently celebrated mother’s day,  I’ll share a few things about just how much my mum has impacted my life.

I don’t think anybody goes into motherhood prepared, and most at times, mothers don’t even know if they’re doing it right. In today’s post , I not only want to celebrate my mum, but I also want to share with you all a few things she impacted into my life and that of my siblings. It is my hope that this post makes you think of the many ways your mother has impacted your life and if you can, let her know it.

READING

It is the desire of every mother, I believe, to see her child succeed in everything and that includes academic excellence and my mum is no exception. My mum has been very active when it comes to the school work of  her children even though she isn’t the most educated parent. This is one of the things I’m most grateful to my mum for. I remember how growing up in a compound house , all the kids would be outside playing around but my mum will sit by me with a ruler or cane just to make sure I read the whole pages of whatever storybook my dad had bought for me. As a child I didn’t quite get why she had to be so tough on me and all I  wanted to do was to go out and play like every other kid but my mum wouldn’t leave me until I got every word pronounced correctly and could read whatever was meant for that evening. She may not be the most learned mother in the world but whatever she knew, she taught us. She helped us with our homeworks, read books she didn’t necessarily need to read just so she could help us. I’ve grown up to become a young lady who loves reading and writing and I can’t help but thank my dad for buying me the reading materials and my mum for teaching me how to read right from childhood.

PERSONAL STYLE

Being her first daughter, I got a lot of hand-me-downs from my mum and so it’s no doubt that that somehow influenced my personal taste and style. My mum gave me my first jumpsuits and I’ve loved jumpsuits since then. She also inspired my love for heels. Growing up, I would wear her heels with her all the time and she would hardly object. I remember there was a time she came back home from the market with 3 pairs of second hand heels just so I could wear them in the house and practice walking in heels. She was my go-to person if and when I needed advise on what to wear to church and if she ever thought something was inappropriate, she’d always reason it out with me. She is  also my personal seamstress sometimes.

COOKING

Like every one of you, I also consider my mum’s cooking to be the best ever. Especially her jollof, chicken light, groundnut soup, and oh! Banku and okro stew. I wouldn’t say my cooking is half as good as hers but what I can say is that thanks to her, I can cook decent meals for myself. Even away from home, I still call her every now and then for her to teach me how to cook some dishes. Thanks to my friends here, I’ve learnt a few new recipes which I can’t wait to teach her.

PERSONAL HYGEINE

The issue of hygiene is quite big in my home. My dad made this rule for us ‘no bath no chop’ which I’m sure still holds today….basically meaning that you couldn’t eat until you had taken your bath. Weirdly enough, my mum has been the one to educate me on most things. Mum would wake up early in the morning to apply fresh lime dipped in ash under our armpits before waking us up to go bath and get ready for school. So today if I don’t have any body odour, then I guess I have my mum to thank. She taught how to wash clothes, shave pubic hair, and handle period issues. The little things always do matter indeed.

FAITH

My home isn’t one of those homes where they have morning devotions etc, but in her own way, she instilled and inspired the faith in us. She took us to church every Sabbath, helped us prepare for whatever programs we were given in church, supported and encouraged us to be as active in church as dad would permit. In sum, she exposed us to the house of God as much as possible from where we learnt to grow in faith. She also always reminds me to trust in God whenever I feel overwhelmed by life in general.

KEEPING THE FAMILY

First of all , let me just state that I am the number one fan of my parent’s union and I’ve always thought that they complement each other. I’ve seen how even when she’s mad at dad, she still makes sure he has food to eat and never encourages us to disrespect dad just because she is mad at him. She’s the prayer warrior of the family, and such a team player. By watching how she relates with dad, I’ve learnt how to be there for my partner and family as a whole in future.

FRIENDSHIP
Without compromising her role as a mother in any way, my mum is literally one of the best friends I’ve ever had. One of our most emotional moments was when she suddenly broke down into tears when I was about leaving Ghana for China. Initially I was all about going on this new adventure but seeing mum break down immediately brought to mind the things we’ll both be missing , our time together. Distance hasn’t made things easy but it has brought us much closer. We’ve had happy moments and sad moments together, we’ve encouraged each other on various occasions and in spite of the countless times I may have disappointed her, she’s never given up on me (none of my parents have). It’s wonderful to have a mom, but a mom who’s a friend, double blessings!

SIGN OFF

Today’s post is to celebrate our mothers. No matter how much preparation is made, I don’t think there’s anyone who has motherhood all figured out. My mum isn’t a perfect wife or mother, and not everything she taught me came by word of mouth, there were slaps, knocks, insults, lashes etc because bringing up another human could be frustrating plus my siblings and I haven’t made things any easy either.

This post is to encourage us to let our mothers know that they’re doing a great job. I hope with all my heart that I can be as good as mother as mine is, or even better because I’m sure that’s what she’d want. I hope I can inspire my children like she inspires us . If ever given the chance, I’d choose her over and over again.

To the women who have been mothers to us in one way or another, to the women who have to be both mother and father, to the new mothers who are new to motherhood and have no idea how they’re going to do this… to the mothers who have been mothers… to the mothers of our time. To my mum, and to your mum…… Thank you..

What are some of the values/habits you have that can be attributed to your mother? Share with me in the comment section. Do take care of yourself and don’t be a stranger….

Xoxo, Yarh.