This is a guest blog submitted by KashI’ve always heard mothers sacrifice the most for their kids but I didn’t believe it much until I heard all the stories about my mom from aunts and uncles.
The one memory that sticks out was the first time I ever came to this country and was in JFK airport waiting for my dad to pick us up. We (me, my two sisters and my mom) were starving. I mean that kind of starvation where I could have killed someone for food, but I was six so I just complained.
Back then JFK didn’t have places to get food, so my mom went up to a random stranger, she didn’t even speak English, and got us a pack of cookies and a bottle of Pepsi. She made sure we ate but didn’t have any herself. Her first priority was to stop us from going hungry.
It’s a small gesture I know, all moms will do it if they had to, but it’s something that matters to me a lot. It’s something I can never forget.
The New York Times had an
article this morning about moms spending money on their kids this holiday season instead of spending any on themselves. I think that goes to show the caring nature of a mother. This Christmas I had plan to do the opposite. I’ll be buying my parents, especially my mom, presents. I’ve never bought them anything for Christmas (We don't really celebrate Christmas). She’s sacrificed so much for me and my siblings over the years, this holiday season it’s time for her to take a break, sit back and enjoy.
So right this moment get up, go find your mom and just give them a kiss or a hug because nothing can ever compare to the sacrifice a mother makes for her children.
Has your mom ever sacrificed herself for you? What did she do? Are you sacrificing your own indulgences to buy gifts for your children this holiday season?
Comments (9)
My mother didn't sacrifice for me. She left when I was young.
My grandmother did though. She gave up her retirement years to raise her grandchild (me).
why is this news? people shouldn't shop for themselves in the holiday season anyways. it takes away from the whole meaning.
i mean, what's the point of giving, when you're pretty much only giving to -yourself-?
When I was thirteen, I started public school for the first time. Up until then, I had attended a Christian school and we had uniforms. So, for the first time in my life, we had to go shopping for school clothes. We didn't have any extra money, but mom had been paying on a new coat on lay-away for herself for about four months. She went and got her money back to use to buy me school clothes instead of getting herself a winter coat. She didn't even tell me about it until years later. Not only did she sacrifice to give me what I needed, she didn't even want me to know that it was a sacrifice, so that I wouldn't feel badly about it. I'll never forget that. She's pretty great.
My stepmom is my mom to me and she sacrificed alot for me - she married my dad when I was 7 and she was only 21 and has raised me and my brother as her own, even when we didn't make it easy for her to love us.
My parents sacrificed a lot of us when we were younger because they didn't know much English and did things with their guts. Now that my siblings and I know English we are afraid of taking chances. I can't really remember specific examples but I'm sure there were many food examples too.
All my parents want is for their children to do well in school and be able to have an easier time in life compared to theirs. So the best present I can give them is to work hard, succeed, and make them proud.
It is and will always be apart of being a middle class parent. My sister in law chastised me when we were looking at add for Black Friday that I shouldn't be looking for myself after I got excited about some great deals on things that my husband and I need but haven't had the money to shell out for. This was then followed by her talking about things that they needed and she was going to try and get.... oh well, we don't have children but we have plenty of them to buy for and they will all get a well thought out gift from us that will last awhile and be fun. In order to do that we have lowered the limit that we usually set for the adults that we buy for so we can keep the children's amount the same.
A good parent would always sacrifice for their children, whether it is getting a new pair of jeans or going without dinner.
My dad died when I was eight. My mom, at age 38, was left to take care of my sister (who was 11 at the time, just about to hit puberty) and me. My mom worked her butt off to provide us with pretty much anything we needed. Okay, so we didn't get to go skiing - we were fine with that. I've never wanted a thing - well, not until I'm a parent myself and put money away for my son to go to college some day while needing a new pair of jeans... But I do it gladly, and so did my mom (added bonus: she's always loved working).
My mom still blames herself for not "being there" for us because she had to work to put food on the table, but I always tell her: hey, you were just one person, and you did an awesome job!
I mean, can you imagine taking two whiney teenage girls on holiday all by your lonesome? Eeeeek... I shudder to think what we put my poor mom through.
Now, she's a proud grandma, and I'm so happy to be able to give her the gift of (more) family. She loves my son and he loves her.
@TashaDW_18@xanga - it's so great to hear things like this. A true parent is someone who loves and sacrifices unconditionally
@PenaltyLife@xanga -