I Am Strong..

The first thing I did this morning, after grabbing a cup of coffee, was go to postsecrets.com to read the weekly post secrets. Of course, they were all about motherhood. One of them read, 'I am strong because my mother is strong'. I can totally relate to that post secret, except for me it is no secret. I AM strong, and it IS because my mother is strong.

Over the years I have met so many people who take their parenthood for granted. They are selfish and put their needs before their kids. I'm not sure why they think its ok to waste their money on stupid stuff...like tattoos...instead of paying their bills or investing in their child. I'm not sure why they think its ok to pawn their kid off on other family members so they can pursue THEIR education. I'm not sure why they think its ok to party, to do drugs, to spend all their time with friends and boy/girlfriends instead of taking care of their kids. I'm really not sure how they think its ok to pop a baby out and pretty much say 'I don't want to do everything in my power to be the best I can be, to do everything I can, to fight as hard as possible to raise up this child that is part of me....here you can do it' (and I am NOT talking about adoption).

My Mom put her life on the back burner to make sure she did everything she could to give us everything we needed. It meant working, a lot. It meant having very little social/love life to speak of for a very long time. It meant depending on the kindness and charity of others and swallowing your pride to ask for help when it was needed. It meant putting aside your wants and sometimes even your needs to do for your kids.

I know it wasn't easy for her. She was tired. She was frustrated. I know she felt like a failure sometimes. But never once, EVER, did I see or hear or feel like my Mom just gave up. Never once did she pawn us off on other family members because she just couldn't handle it. Never once did she neglect us, forget about us, or let us go without because she wanted for herself. She did, and has always, lived and worked for us. Giving up was not an option.

She has taught me what it means to be a woman. A very strong, independent (even with help from friends and family) woman. She taught me that we do what we must, even if its hard..even if we don't like it, even if we feel like we can't go on. She taught me that we must always stand strong under the pressure that is life, that we must always FIGHT and move forward, that we must do what is right, and that we must never ever give up.

My Mom is my super-hero..and I am strong because of her.