My Mother, the Other Me

Mothers and children have a deep connection - deeper than what may be perceived at first. For example, say you have a friend that you have become close with. What is one way to gesture your closeness to them? By introducing them to your mother. Think about it: how many of your friends would you like your mother to meet? How many of your friends have already met your mother, and how close are you with them? I started thinking about this, and then I began to wonder about the relationships we have with our moms.

Another example that reflects the deep connection between a person and their mother is how people get offended when someone insults their mom.

 People take these insults personally - they seem to be more offensive when directed at someone's mother than when they are directed at the person themselves. But why should there be this offense? What kind of a bond is there that a mother carries so much importance in a person's life?

If we examine how a human connects with his mother on a biological level, we find something very interesting. When an embryo implants in his mother's womb, there is an exchange of cells that takes place. Some of the baby's cells move into the mother's body, and some of the mother's cells are taken into the baby. But this physical exchange is not the only way a mother shares herself with her child.

Our mothers are our first teachers; they communicate to us how to walk, eat, and live. But they also communicate a part of themselves to us. As children, we naturally imitate our parents. We pick up their mannerisms, their accents, and sometimes even their bad habits. Some of these things may change as we grow, but other things will stay, and become ingrained in our spirit.

So when a person introduces their mother to a friend, it is an intimate gesture. It is saying, "Meet this person, my mother. Not only did she help give me life, she is a part of who I am. She is like me, before I was me." On the other side, a mother is very sensitive to her children. When she sees them succeeding, she feels as if she were a success. When they hurt, she feels the pain. That is because they are a part of her. They will carry her with them through their lives, and keep her alive long after she is dead.

Some people don't have this connection with their mothers. Some mothers don't have this connection with their children. Both are tragedies. When a person doesn't care about his mother, he is neglecting a part of himself. Similarly, when a mother refuses to love or care for her child, she is missing the purpose of her life. Mothers who kill their unborn children are especially alienated from themselves. The part of their body that they will miss after an abortion is not as big as the part of their soul that will remain unfulfilled with the loss of their little one. There are some mothers who realize this later on in life, and their suffering is very great.

No mother suffers as greatly as Our Blessed Mother

Mothers, love your children more than you love yourselves. To the people that have mothers - biological, adopted, through wedlock - love them more than they love you. And when you look at your mother, remember that she is, and always will be, a part of you are.

"Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you." -Isaiah 49:15-16