When we are born, the very first humans we interact with and form a general impression about well, all people, come from the interactions and characters our mothers have. Besides, our mothers also become our first guides, teachers, pillars of strength during the tough times, and our first friends. She is also one of the first few people to shed tears of joy when they see us succeed and secretly cry when they see us sad or hurt.
As the first person to hold the baton and power to teach us the first lessons of life, our mothers directly and indirectly also shape the kind of attitude and personality we have. This may depend on how she deals with things, the kind of friends she has, her interests and hobbies, and even how she speaks to you and other people.
Overall, being raised by a strong mother makes your upbringing a whole other ballgame. So if you have been raised by a strong woman, then you probably learned some of these lessons from her:
1. You Learn The Value Of Independence
You learn that in life you will always have people who care for you, but at the end of the day, you need to learn to do things for yourself. You are accountable and responsible for your own choices and actions. Besides, you don’t need a man or woman to nurture, save or protect you. Your mother’s strength is a perfect example of how you are fully capable of living life by yourself, landing a good job, raising a child on your own, knowing how to cook and clean, and even travel around the world in a hot air balloon with time to spare.
2. You Learn What Unconditional Love Really Is
When you grow up with a strong mother as your guiding light, you begin to notice how she makes sacrifices for you. It could be small things like giving up that piece of cake for you to big things like taking a week off work to take care of you when you’re sick. As she compromises her own health and youth to make sure you’re always smiling and well, she never complains or says she is suffering for you. She gives into your every whim, demand, and need with a tender smile and happily puts you before herself. By acting out of pure and selfless love, you only grow up to realize that such love is not one you can find anywhere, ever.
3. You Learn How To Truly Love Yourself
Besides being shown selfless love, she helps you understand that bad grades, disappointments, heartbreak, and failure, in whatever form, don’t matter or define who you are. You begin to understand what it means to believe in yourself, your capabilities, and love yourself for what you are without negative self-talk or judgement. No matter what the world throws at you or how people feel about you, you know what it takes to keep moving ahead in life without doubting yourself or stopping to give those haters or times you fell, any importance. What truly makes you who you are is your resilience. So you never hesitate to get back up, overcome, and fight whatever tries to keep you down in life.
4. You Learn That You Can Be Both Strong And Soft
Strong mothers do not have to have an ‘iron fist’, in fact they are much like a coconut, with a hard shell to defend and protect but with a soft and tender core to absorb, nurture, and understand. Likewise, their strength stems from from soft and sensitive roots, which they hide very well. This includes those moments where her eyes look puffy because she hid her tears and cried after you fell asleep. Or the time she spent sleepless nights finishing her work so she can get some quality time with you on your birthday. Or even those warm and comforting hugs she gives you when you’re upset, as she hides how upset she is to see you sad. That’s the kind of unparalleled compassion and tenderness strong mothers have.
5. You Learn That It’s Not Easy Being A Woman
Being a human-being in this day and age is hard enough, but there is a whole other world of difficulties that women face. For starters, your opinions on matters which are dominated by men or even otherwise may not be taken seriously. Likewise, taking a stand for something or giving your perspective will only be seen as a nuisance, an act of defiance, “unladylike”, the whines of a damsel, or worse may be if it is considered immaterial. Putting across your thoughts, ideas, and opinions as a woman, will require a little more effort so others finally choose to see things from your point of view. However, that only makes you realize how tough your mom had it, how tough it made her, and even how tough it can make you when facing any problem.
6. You Learn How Wise It Is To Never Look Back
Worrying about the future may have been something your mom spent most of her time doing on your behalf, but one thing she probably taught you was never to do is dwell on the past and hold onto the bygones that do not serve a purpose in your life anymore. As time passes, those “what ifs” and “buts” become your responsibility or what dominates your mind. But, seeing how your strong mother handled it all your life, that is a page you can probably borrow from her book so you don’t let your past or future come in the way of your present. You learn to take things as they come and in your stride with the most positive outlook.
7. You Learn The Importance Of Patience And Faith
You learn that there is some power out there watching over you and looking after you, be it God, energies, the universe, or whatever form your faith takes the shape of. Just like those times you had your mother taking care of you and making sure you’re alright, you start to instill that faith in your mind and believe that at the end of the day everything will be okay. Even the darkest and stormiest nights are followed by the brightest and sunniest days, with the chance of seeing a rainbow. Having grown up with that comforting sense of security, you learn to be more patient in life, and know how to wait the bad times out as much as give time for good things to come your way. Faith and patience may be the two bestowed superpowers you get from a strong mom.
8. You Will Learn To Create Your Own Happiness
You will discover that happiness is often found in the little things and can seem scarce during those trying times, but not for a strong mother. Even during those rainy days, she may have seen it as an opportunity to make some comforting and wholesome alphabet soup to enjoy under the covers with you while watching reruns of ‘Tom & Jerry.’ By seeing how your mother was always able to find happiness in the most difficult times, you learn and know how to smile even when you feel like you’re crumbling inside as you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Those hard to see nuggets of joy during those tough times will become more apparent when you look closer or with her insight.
9. You Realize That She Knows More About ‘Love’ Than You Do
Whatever the age difference between you and your mom, even if your personalities and choices in partners are worlds apart, always trust a strong mother’s instinct about the guy you may be serious about or the girl you may want to marry. She may be spot on about them and even save you a future of heartache or heartbreak. Being the first person to love, care, and nurture you into becoming what you are, she also knows best about what’s good for you and obviously never wants to see you heartbroken. Whether you know it or not, seeing you hurt would hurt her a hundred times more. She’s always got your back and probably has it right about them, so do listen to her.
10. You Learn How To Be A Good Mother Yourself
A mother is the person running and making sure the ship you call your home and family, is sailing well. More than anyone else, she is the go-to person on how to truly care for each member in a family in a personalized manner and how to take care of them on the whole too. She teaches and shows you what it takes to be protective, loving, kind, compassionate, and strong. As the best role model, even if you don’t follow her footsteps, her values are pieces of wisdom that will prove to be useful to you, now, in the long-run, and after she has passed. As the unwavering pillar of strength for you and your family, we could all take a page from the principles and experiences of a strong mother.
