Honoring a Mother's Role

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Celebrate your mothers, moms, and mamas this Mother's Day.

By Travis Grubbs

In the beginning, God created man. He assessed his creation and said, “I can do better,” and created woman. By creating this most wonderful and marvelous of beings, He also created the one that bears children.

For those of you who haven’t realized it, being a mother, mom, or mama is a really tough job. First, they have to endure the ordeal of carrying us for nine months. Then, they have to give birth to us, which I have been told is quite painful. After all of that, these fearless leaders have to clean us, wash our clothes, feed us, and check under our beds for monsters. Mothers perform various acts of medicine to cure our boo-boos and other ailments, threaten us within an inch of our lives to do our homework, and put up with every mangy dog or cat we managed to drag home.

In addition to these domestic chores, many mothers have had to work outside the home. If yours was like my mom, it was out of pure necessity in order to pay the bills, and buy food and clothes. These sacrificial beings always juggle their schedules to accommodate ours. It is very rare for mama to get a day off; that is, one where she is truly off and can just relax.

As we grow older we cannot help but realize how difficult a mother’s role has been in filling in our lives. They appear to be strong and in control, but in reality they have their fears, concerns, and insecurities. While they try to care, discipline, and protect us, they can’t protect us from such threats as diabetes and cancer. They may not admit it, but they spend a lot of time worrying about us.

And let’s not get hung up on biologics. Many non-related women fill the role of mama for someone in need of a caring and nurturing female. They are just as good as the biological mother when it comes to letting us know that we are loved. Now if your mother is no longer living, look around you for a mother that is not being properly appreciated, and appreciate her!

On this Mother’s Day, I encourage you to do something extraordinarily nice for the mother(s), mom(s), or mama(s) in your life. And as diabetics, let’s remember that food is not love, so we do not have to express it by taking her out to eat or buying her a box of candy (i.e., loading her up on calories and carbs). Instead, I suggest one, or more, of the following to let her know that she is special:

1. Take her shopping and buy her something to wear.
2. If she has a hobby, buy her something that she can use in that pursuit. If she doesn’t have a hobby, help her start one.
3. Take her to a movie of her choice.
4. Treat her to a day at the spa.
5. Spend the day with her, and don’t let her wait on you. This would be a good time to take her on an outing to the beach, or a state park.

They may not be perfect, but they are our moms. They deserve to be treated special because they have earned it. And no matter which of the above activities you choose, be sure to also buy her flowers!

Read more of Travis Grubbs' Turn the Page columns here.

Disclaimer

dLife's Daily Living columnists are not all medical experts, but everyday people living with diabetes and sharing their personal experiences. While their method of diabetes management may work for them, everyone is different. Please consult with your diabetes care team to find out what will work best for you.