Mother

Mother is such a complex concept. For years, I struggled with issues with my mother. Then I became a mother, and my son has issues with me, though I tried my hardest not to be »that« kind of a mother. And now I am a grandmother, and I raised my grandson for most of his young life. So I am like his mother. And how he relates to me is as a mother. When people call me his mother, he doesn't correct them, and sometimes he even calls me »mom.« On the other hand, he thinks of the concept of mother as a vague, cold concept but thinks of a grandmother as a warm, fuzzy being who is supportive and kind. The concept of mother is so connected to our own experiences of nurturing and being nurtured that it is impossible to detach from those links.

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.
-Spanish proverb

Having a mother there's always butter in the kitchen.

In the Caribbean, among young males, mother is only half a word.

»Sorry«, he said. »I was just tucking Mother in for the night. Sometimes she's apt to be a bit difficult.«
»You said she was ill. I would'nt want to disturb her.«
»Oh, you won't make any bother. She'll probably sleep like a baby.« Mr. Bates glanced over his shoulder at the stairway, then lowered his voice. »Actually, she's not sick, not physically, that is. But sometimes she gets these spells---«

From »Psycho«, Robert Bloch