Childhood Inspiration: A Mother’s Love

Whom did you admire as a child? Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

Insecure Writers Want to Know

Childhood Inspiration. I’m trying to think of someone other than my mother whom I admired as a child.

But I can’t think of anyone whom I admired as much as Mom.

You see, I was a slower reader when I was a kid and had trouble keeping up in class. Mom read my social studies and science chapters aloud so I could find answers to the questions. She comprehended the material. She helped me study for tests. Mom said it was okay to be a slower reader. She took me to the library and encouraged me to read to my little sister. Mom always asked what I thought of any story I read. With her assistance, I got better at understanding what I read.

Mom was always reading. Newspapers. Magazines. Books. For pleasure. To be informed. I couldn’t say whether she saw all the foreshadowing. The inner and outer problems of the protagonist. Perhaps she missed some of the psychological meaning of a character’s actions. I still have trouble with this. Mom didn’t go to college. She was a secretary. I was the only one to graduate from college in my family of six.

Did my opinion of Mom change once I grew up? Yes! Mom believed in me when I had trouble believing in myself. She sat patiently at the kitchen table as I created stories or essays on my laptop. She was my sounding board. My inspiration. The silent cheerleader in my life.

I wanted to make Mom proud of me. To thank her for all she did for me. To show her I could now write stories, like the ones that had stumped me as a child. I could write poetry and essays. Would I win a Pulitzer? Probably not. But I have become published. Stories. Poems. Essays. I have placed in poetry contests. I’m teaching writing workshops. I have made money in my writing career. Nope. I can’t pay the mortgage with what I make. But it’s something to deposit into my account.

Not a day goes by, I don’t miss Mom’s steadfast encouragement. Thanks, Mom!

So, who did you admire as a child? Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

My most recent essay to Business Insider about the importance of carrying enough water when backpacking the Appalachian Trail with children is live. You can access it here.

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This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I’d like to thank our co-hosts for January: Natalie Aguirre, Rebecca Douglass, Liza, and Beth Camp. Please visit them if you can.

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