I love my Mom, what's the problem?
(originally penned 2/12/2007)
I love my Mom, what's the problem?
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My brother is the families computer guru. I was after him for years to get Mom a computer. "John" I'd say "you go home to visit Mom, all the time, I can't visit as often, if Mom had a computer, I could keep in touch."
He'd ask Mom if she would like for him to get a computer for her and Mom would refuse.
Although for the rest of us it's 2007. While gadgets, wireless communication, and the latest innovations are something most of us can't do without and the 21st century abounds all around us. My Mom is oblivious to it all not phased by any of these gadgets and does not own a computer. But I sure wish she did, but as they say, people in hell wish for ice water.
I love my Mom, when I was younger she was my best friend.That isn't to say she isn't my best friend now, because it's still amazing to see how much she loves me,I am absolutely still learning how blessed I am that she is my Mom now and was my Mom when I was growing up.
Let me explain it this way. My Mom is a retired teacher, her salary was never anywhere near what I imagined it to be, and for it to have allowed for her to raise two son's, and provide all the necessities that our life required, not to mention all the things we dreamed of having was all but impossible.
I always thought that back in the day she either didn't understand how important what we were asking for was to us, or that she was just too conservative to allow for this "thing we just had to have" to exist in two teenage son's life.
I now know she completely understood and sacrificed immeasurably for us. The bottom line was, she simply just didn't have the money to make a purchase. At one time her total income when I was in high school, was $500.00 a month! Let me insert here for those of you that may not know, I want to state this fact aside from all the others, this one fact alone needs to be emphasized. Teenage boys can much more than eat their weight in food, in a day! Let me say it again ... Teenage boys can more than eat their weight in food, in a day! This is no joke, this is a fact! As "they" say, I was there, matter of fact,it was me, doing the eating.
Ladies and gentleman ... please understand she NEVER, EVER, complained, about us eating, wrestling, being loud, the tons of dirty clothes that she constantly had to launder or for what I'm most grateful she didn't blame us for "being guy's", so bottom line is, what we have here in my Mom, is a single mother, who never received child support, never whined about it, never, bemoaned the fact Dad wasn't' there, to help her raise us and she didn't hate us for being his sons and her burden. NEVER, EVER, not once, not one time.
She just expected us to respect her, respect ourselves, assume responsibility for ourselves, and our actions as sane thinking , common sense people. She also expected us to apologize when we were wrong, stand up for what was right,know when to speak up, and just as importantly know when to shut up.
I wish she had a computer, so she could get on line, anytime and instantly know I'd left her a message, or chat with me. I could also send her my website address, and she could read my renderings, Hmmm, then again maybe that's not such a good idea. I can imagine what she'd say, if she read "Freaky Tonight" ... it might go like this.... I'd get a email from Mom that would say.
MOM: Hi Tony, me and your aunts noticed you been writing again. We're so proud of you. Your cousin Chandra is a doctor. BTW, we read the latest poem, freaky tonight, why you write stuff like that Tony? What's wrong with you , the ladies at the church, are praying for you. Are you OK? You got a girlfriend? Does she or her Mom like this kind of stuff? Did she make you write stuff like this? Is she a member of a church? You used to write such nice, clean poems, what happened to those poems? The pastor for some reason, canceled Sunday dinner, with us, the deacon board is calling a emergency meeting, about the dangers of the Internet. Some of the members had wanted to get a website for the church, but now it's all under reconsideration, and now you write stuff like this. When you coming home? We need to talk. Your brother doesn't write stuff like that, Tony. He comes home often. Your aunt Stella asks about you, she asks, are you eating right? She said, the city is full of all kinds of things, we thought we raised you right. I love you Tony, sincerely Mom. P.S.,call me, I don't want to talk on line, I hate computers! But you wanted me to have one. Next time your brother comes home I'm having him take this thing out of my house.
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