The Best Mother in the World

Beep beep! I turn to pick up my mobile to see who had sent me a SMS. This is what flashed on the screen:
“Motherhood’s the toughest 24 hour lifetime job. No pay, no days off, no qualifications or training are given and most unappreciated and yet resignation is impossible! So send this to anyone who’s a terrific mum and let her know she’s absolutely wonderful”

A small message but it’s bang on target. It correctly defines every mother on this earth. I immediately forwarded it to my mom. If I could, I would have forwarded it to every mother on this planet because so many of us take our mothers for granted, that it’s our God given right to demand things to be done by her.

Many of you must have read the comic strip “The Family Circus” by Bill and Jeff Keane. I remember this particular comic strip that appeared in a newspaper in Mumbai, where the mother is sitting in a bank. She has filled a form, and in the field ‘Profession’ she’s written ‘Housewife’, but in her mind are running these thoughts ‘Baby sitter, driver, cook, cleaner, laundry in charge, doctor, teacher, counselor’ and so on. This is so true, every mother has to juggle so many roles but she always manages to conduct a fine balancing act.

Many forget to acknowledge and recognize the positive impact that their mother has had on them. After all it is usually the mother with whom the child shares the closest bond, for it is she who has carried the child in her womb for 9 months and nourished it from an embryo to an infant.
It is the same for me; I share a very strong bond with my mom. She’s more of a friend than a mother. What I am today is all thanks to her teachings, her sacrifices and her efforts.

How do I count the ways in which my mother has positively impacted my life? How, when I was ill, she wouldn’t sleep the whole night just to make sure that I slept well. How she patiently helped me read and write. How she taught me to pray, not just for myself but for others as well. How she rarely went out with her friends at night, just so that I would not have to sleep alone. How she would keep fasts in the names of different Gods and Goddesses, so that no obstacles would block my path. How she was stern and sweet, both in good measures.
Always leading by example, these huge efforts by my mom will always stay etched in my mind when I raise my children.

There were many instances when I would be upset with my mother and throw childish tantrums because some whim or fancy of mine had not been fulfilled. Quite often my grandma would give in to these tantrums of mine just to keep me happy, but it was in these instances that my mother would have to go through her tests of fire. She would quite often hold her stand and didn’t mind being labeled the ‘villain’ by me. She knew that she was providing the balance required to bring up a well mannered child. In the long run, it has paid off well and I am extremely thankful that she was strict with me at times, for otherwise I would have become a spoilt brat.

When I was fresh out of school, this chubby, insecure, shy teenager would tremble at the thought of making new friends. I remember how my mom forced me to join a public speaking class, and that was one of the biggest turning points of my life. I shed my inhibitions and became an active participant in all extra curricular activities in my college. The introvert had been transformed to an extrovert who went on to become the vice chairman of his extra curricular club.

I remember reading this line on the internet - “You can learn many things from a child, how much patience you have, for instance”
My mom always had a lot of patience with me. She would take as much time required in explaining things to me and work on my faults and mistakes without losing her cool. She has always taught me to stay away from comparisons, never to compare myself to another and to be happy with what I have. Everyone has their own destiny; their own place in this world. This is why I am content with my current place in the world and am not part of the rat race.

As a kid, I had some trouble with my ‘R’s but it’s all thanks to her that the kid who used to say “lound the lock the lugged loaver lan” instead of “round the rock the rugged rover ran” now lends his voice to radio spots, corporate videos and effortlessly anchors shows in front of a live audience.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have such a gem of a mother. I truly believe that I must have done a whole bunch of good deeds in my past life to have her as my mother in this life.

Many would say “All mothers do this; my mother also brought me up with great pains. She is the best mother in the world”.
You’ve told me, but have you told her?