In an era where motherhood is becoming so politicized, with questions roiling about having a career versus staying at home, breast-feeding versus the bottle — even dinner-time choices are scrutinized — we decided to ask Iowans to do something simple for Mother’s Day:
We asked you to tell us about your mother’s generosity.
The emails and Facebook posts that rolled in told stories of mothers who gave tremendously of themselves for their children. In one case, a letter-writer said he had to stop, as the tears had started to flow.
Among what we heard:
One mother slipped her wedding ring into her kindergartener’s sock to ease a child’s fear about seeing her again after the first day of school.
Another woman, at age 90, wrote her children and grandchildren a book of her life, a memento that they treasure.
One woman showed her generosity, in some cases, by holding back. She didn’t whip up a new meal if one of her children didn’t like the one she prepared. And that independent spirit prevailed for generations, the letter’s author told us.
Here are the rest of the stories from readers (some submissions have been lightly edited for clarity):
‘She gives all she has to us, and more’
My mother’s most generous gift is giving all her time and self to my family.
Some background, my parents are immigrants from South Korea. They came here with little more than the clothes on their backs and have raised my brother and I the best way they know how with the little that they had, and that includes time. My parents had their own business and never had enough time for us. That is all in the past, and while I appreciate what they did before, they are even more giving now. Eight years ago … my mother let me marry a man from South Korea, even though she had her misgivings. I was born and raised in America and am an American in every way, but went and married a Korean man. Through it all, my mother has stood by me and helped us in our struggle to survive, both as a couple and as parents in America. When we came to the states, my husband did not speak English. He was unsure of himself and was not able to find a job. My parents provided a roof for us. We only had one car, my parents gave us one of their spare cars. I don’t know how to cook Korean food, so my mother slaved over a stove, after she came home from her work, to give him a traditional Korean meal every night. When we felt that we were able to move out on our own, my parents gave us a loan to buy a home. They gave us one of their vehicles to take with us to our new home. When I went back to work after my second child was born, my mother closed her business and took care of my children so that I could work full-time. To this day, she still watches my children and takes my daughter to and from school. We have purchased a larger home and my parents are still supporting us through this endeavor with their tips and tricks of being homeowners. My mother has no boundaries to the love she gives my family and even though we no longer live with her, she still sends home food for my husband so that he doesn’t miss Korea so much.
That is how generous my mother is. She gives all she has to us, and more.
— Sarah Woo
Generosity in tough times
