I was raised by a father who loved and respected his mother.
I was raised by a mother who loves and respects hers.
It’s been the rarest of occasions that I have ever seen a man on either side of my family disrespect the matriarch.
In full transparency, I definitely had my ages where I was more defiant than others, more selfish than others and more inclined to argue with my mother rather than listen to her. Most of that happened in my adolescence but some of it carried on.
It’s been over eight years since my father left this world and, in many ways, his passing brought me closer to my mother. She has always been a symbol of strength, compassion, selflessness and love to me and for me.
So, when I’ve heard the term “mama’s boy”, I’ve seen it as a term of endearment.
Whenever I hear stories from people who no longer speak to or associate with their mothers, it makes me feel legitimately sorry for them. The truth of the matter is that some people are truly toxic individuals and just because you brought a child into this world, doesn’t mean you were fit to be a parent. That is a sad and unfortunate reality.
Then of course, there are all of those people who have lost their mothers. My deepest condolences if your mother is not here in this world today.
I can’t imagine my life without my Mom.
And this goes far beyond my own relationship.
I look at Jackson and the relationship he has with his mother, Megan. He adores her and she him. She has sacrificed and compromised greatly to give him as much as any boy could possibly need. I love that he loves his mother. And he will never hear me speak a disrespectful word about her. On those few occasions where I have seen him act out around her, I have to remind him: “Jackson, be nice to your mother. Be sweet to your mother.”
And with Sebastian, it’s no different. He is the light in his mother’s eyes. Sebastian loves Marissa and Marissa loves being his Mom. The same circumstances apply. Marissa sacrifices and compromises a great deal to be able to spend time with Sebastian and give him what he needs to mature and grow. I’ll never forget the night before he was born in the hospital when Marissa went into AFib and the thought crossed my mind “What if she leaves this world and I have to raise him by myself with no mother to care for him?” Marissa would have made that sacrifice. Thankfully, we never had to see that result occur.
I’ll raise my boys to the best of my capacity to love, cherish and respect their mothers. I will, when the time is right, share with them times when I was not respectful to women so they can better appreciate that it was not appropriate behavior.
I think a world where men have more appreciation for women leads to a better world, a more loving world, and a kinder world. My mother taught me those lessons. My father did too. And it went beyond what they taught me. They treated their own mothers with the same love and respect they passed on to me.
Knowing all of these things is what makes it extra special at RevFit when we can make our own impact by making our moms stronger, more confident and more capable.
If you are in position to remind your mother of how much you love her and how thankful you are that she brought you into this world, I encourage you to do so. Not just because it’s Mother’s Day this weekend but because she very likely gave up more of her time, effort, energy and love to make you the person you are today.
Which means, in a roundabout way, every day is Mother’s Day.
To my Mom, I love you. I thank you.
