An ode to mothers from a boy's perspective

To be a man, is to know how to project oneself with confidence, be at ease with his environment, remain calm and collect in the midst of adversity, and be loved by his fellow human kind. Yet, from where does he learn these skills? Who prepares the boy to become the man? The logical answer would be from his father, for is it not the fathers who stands as a pillar of strength in the household? Yet, have you ever stop to ponder that it is very possible that fathers, like all fathers before them, learn their skills through their mothers? For who, between the gender, is the more observant one, the one who anticipates, the one who is better prepared? Who is more ready to imagine a world with their child, and instill that same imagination in their child to be used as empathy? Mothers.

A mother's love is the source of a man's backbone. It forms the foundation from which he sought greater heights. It is the shelter that he returns to in a storm. In order to be confident, a man must learn to trust. Trust that stems from the comfort in knowing someone will always have his back. Trust in knowing however far he strayed, he will always have a centering beacon to point his way back. Trust in knowing that he will always have someone to come running back to, cried to. Someone who will unfailingly soothe him, forgive him, comfort him; with plenty of bandages, tissues, laughter, hugs and cookies. From this trust, comes the confidence to explore his territory; to go beyond those front porch steps, through the yard, out the front gates, and venture into the world unknown.

It is a confidence grounded in the knowledge, however subconsciously, that he has a packed lunch in his bag. Even through the simple act of preparing lunch for her chid, a mother exerts her influence on his destiny. For a packed lunch is always a source of excitement and envy. It provides a boy with something to chew on, and more importantly, something to share with others. Our lives, as men, is enriched, because our mothers have packed for us a lifelong lunch of wisdom to lean on, think upon and offered to others.

A man learn from his mother what cannot be seen with his eyes. She teaches him to feel, to imagine, she teaches him intuition. A man's logic may give him substance, but it is his intuition and imagination that helps him stay afloat. Imagination is not just about painting a future or a parallel universe, it is about being able to imagine oneself into somebody else's place. Who else imagines better than a mother who constantly worry herself sick over ever possible scenario, and who telepathically knows what their child is going through? From their mothers, men learn what it means to reach out and touch someone's life in the most profound way.

So mothers, I present to you your sons. May you be proud of the man that he is to become. May he grow in your likeness, may he become the man you desire him to be. Happy Mother's Day. Many blessings to all of you who are mothers, or soon to be mothers, or have acted as mother figures to a child.