My Mom Isn't Perfect

My mom isn’t perfect. She has some faults. She’s addicted to tall glasses of whole milk, ice cold cola (which she likes to drink out of double barrel straws), and all kinds of chocolate, which makes her waistline a little bigger than it probably would be otherwise. She loves to shop at thrift stores a little too much and her home isn’t nearly big enough to house all her treasures. She talks too loudly and too long, and sometimes the only way to stop her is to rudely interrupt. She’s overly sensitive to what others think of her and will cry at the drop of a hat. She’s sometimes bossy, often stubborn, and always opinionated.

My mom isn’t perfect, but I still love her.

She may not be perfect, but she tries hard. My mom always gives everything her all. She is the most selfless person I know. She gives and she gives and she gives, past the point when she couldn’t possibly give any more. She and my dad both had to work full time jobs in order to support their large family, but it was her utmost desire to stay at home to raise all five of her children. It breaks her heart to this day to talk about the pain she felt when she left for work every morning, handing her little ones over into the care giving arms of another. She made that daily sacrifice for me, my brother, and my sisters so that we could have the priceless gift of each other. As we grew older and money stayed scarce my mom always made sure her kids had more than they needed, all the while never keeping anything for herself.  If she was given a gift certificate for her birthday she would use it to buy something for someone else. And on the rare occasion that she’d be lucky enough to squeeze a box of Hostess Ding-Dongs out of the grocery budget, she would graciously dole out the treats to us kids until the box was empty. Looking back, I wish I’d never begged for one and let her enjoy those snacks all by herself.

My mom isn’t perfect, but she is giving.

She may not be perfect, but she means well. My mom has a heart of gold. She does everything with the greatest intentions and always wants the best for her family. My mom has showed me nothing but unconditional love. When I was five and I decided that I wanted to be a tomboy, she loved me through it. She let me wear boys’ shorts to school and cut my hair short and she bought me dinosaur toys for Christmas and threw me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle birthday party. My childhood was filled with love. I remember the day I was cut from the high school tennis team and I came home in tears, sobbing all the way to my bedroom. I was afraid that my mom would be disappointed in me since she was a big tennis star in her high school days, but she found me in my room and scooped me up into her embrace. She assured me that I would find a different way to blossom, and the next day she took me to join the high school marching band (in which I made many treasured memories and lifelong friends). That kind of encouragement, support, and love is always in abundant supply in my mom’s heart. My life is filled with examples of ways she fostered my interests and ambitions. She genuinely desires for her kids to know happiness and does everything in her power to help us find it.

 My mom isn’t perfect, but she is loving.

My mom isn’t perfect, but neither am I. As moms, we do the best we can with the gifts that the Lord gave us. After that, all we can do is pray that others will show us mercy and grace to forgive our shortcomings. It took me becoming a mom to understand. I fall short in many ways, on many occasions, and for many reasons but I try hard every day to show my children abundant love and strive to teach them how to love abundantly in return. I hope that one day my kids will appreciate the good I’ve done in their lives and forgive me the bad.

My mom isn’t perfect, but she taught me how to give and how to love. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

My mom isn’t perfect. She’s addicted to chocolate and her waistline is a little bigger than it would be otherwise, but it makes her hugs that much more soft and warm. She loves to shop at thrift stores too much, but it makes her the right person to ask for help in finding a good deal or a rare treasure. She talks too loudly and too long, but it makes her the perfect person to call when I’m feeling especially lonely. She’s overly sensitive to what others think, but that is exactly why I knew it would mean a lot for her to read this. I want her know how much I appreciate everything she is, and everything she isn’t.

My mom may not be perfect, but she’s the perfect mom to me.