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I Will Raise My Children the Way My Mother Raised Me

She's just great, okay?

By Jemma O'DonovanPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
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I've heard a lot of people say this, but my mum is my favourite person in the world, there's no doubt about it. She is an older (and wiser) version of me, and she's always had my back, no matter what. I know that ordinarily, parents don't turn on you for your mistakes, but I also know that sometimes, we know they shouldn't be so forgiving.

A couple of my friends have had children in recent years, and because I'm in a settled relationship with someone I love very much, ultimately I find myself thinking about what I'd be like as a mother in the years to come, and about the ways I would raise my children, and what lessons I'd take away from my upbringing.

I've been lucky enough to have one of the most amazing mothers you can imagine. She's one of those parents that give all they can possibly give, and then give that little bit more, and I don't think anything I could ever do in return could repay her for all she's done for me over the years.

I think the most important lesson I learned from my mother is that you are always so much stronger than you think you are. She taught me that I can bounce back from problems as many times as I want to, and I can come back stronger each and every time. When my mother cries, she cries out of anger, but then comes back fighting. I will display this kind of strength to my future children, and I will make sure they know that giving up is never the only option.

When I was around 9 or 10, I wanted to buy a phone. At the time, the phone in question cost £40, and rather than just giving it to me, my mum taught me the importance of working hard to earn money to have the material things that you aspire to have. She told me that she would allow me to have £40 to buy the phone if I worked for it, so I did a lot of the house chores for a couple of weeks in order to earn the money. From then up until I got my first job and could buy things for myself, that was how she approached the issue of me having money to go out and do things with friends, or to buy a certain t-shirt or CD etc. I will always use this approach with my children because from a young age, I knew, and somewhat understood, the value of money, and how important it is to earn everything you have, because then you'll never take anything for granted.

Another thing I've learned from my mother is that I am not superior to any other human being. We are equal. My mum has always been one of those people who is just happy to let everyone else around her be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do, as long as they're not hurting anyone else. She'd never shy away from anything she didn't understand, and she'd always challenge negativity and lack of acceptance if it was present, because she's never found a need to look down on any other human being for anything. This is something I've taken away with me as I've grown up, and I'd probably say that I'm one of the most open-minded people I know, and I definitely put that down to the way my mum raised me. I will 10000% teach my children that love conquers all, and I will teach them that when push comes to shove, we are all human beings.

My mum is one in a million - she never stops providing for me in any and every way that she can. Nothing I ask is ever too much for her, and she will always go above and beyond to make sure that I'm happy and comfortable.

She's the best friend I know I'll never lose, and she teaches me something new about life every single day, and I couldn't be more thankful.

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About the Creator

Jemma O'Donovan

I am a UK Writer with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Gloucestershire. I enjoy blogging and writing prose, and I'm an LGBTQIA+ advocate.

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