Mothers are Influential

Parenting may be one of the most important influences on a child’s life. This article will
focus on mothers. When we think of mothers, the image we often celebrate is one of a
mother holding her child lovingly in her arms. Yet, mothers can have both positive and
negative aspects that are worth considering. The influences of mothers are complex,
replete with rewards and challenges.

What are the positive influences mothers can have on a child?

1. Life Skills
   Mothers teach basic life skills, like brushing teeth, bedtime, and manners. Mothers also instill a sense of security from which their children gain self-esteem. Mothers teach responsibility, self-reliance, discipline, and boundaries.
2. Recognition and Appreciation
   In the rush of daily life, children do not always recognize and appreciate all that their mother does. Mothers can feel taken for granted. Holidays like Mother’s Day, Christmas/Hannukah, and birthdays teach children to recognize their mothers for hard work, love, and sacrifices in a more intentional way.
3. Strengthening Relationships
   Mothers can encourage stronger family bonds by prompting children to reach out, spend family time or do something thoughtful. Mothers can model ways to strengthen emotional connections. In Professor Robert Winston’s research on parental bonding (as cited in LSP 2024), he imagined “…if the hugs, lullabies, and smiles from parents could inoculate babies against heartbreak, adolescent angst, and even help them pass their exams decades later.
4. Opportunity for Reflection
   Mothers can model the role of motherhood. This can include gratitude for their own mother and recognition of others who fill maternal roles, such as grandmothers, aunts, stepmothers, caregivers, teachers, or mentors.
5. Cultural Traditions
   In many cultures, honoring mothers is a deeply rooted tradition. Mothers can preserve a sense of cultural identity. Holiday meals can be so important.

What are the negative influences mothers can have on a child?

1. Emotional Challenges for Some
   Not everyone has fond feelings about their mothers. For those who have lost their mothers, experienced strained or abusive family relationships, struggled with infertility or loss of a child, or never had a child, thinking about mothers can actually be painful and emotionally triggering.
2. Gender Role Expectations
   Some critics argue that motherhood can reinforce traditional gender roles by overemphasizing women’s value in terms of motherhood. This can inadvertently marginalize women who choose not to have children or who define their identities in other ways.
3. Expectations
   Some mothers, despite wanting the best for their children, hyperfocus on expectations—expectations to overachieve, to be overly responsible for siblings, or to follow a career path the mother deems essential. This breeds guilt trips, especially when children decide to forage a different path.

►A mother’s love can literally change the course of a child’s life.

Reference:
The importance of mom. https://littlesunshine.com/blog/the-importance-of-mom/ Little
Sunshine’s Playhouse. May, 2024).