Honoring Mothers

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Little Rebecca and Mom

There are so many kinds of moms—strict, relaxed, those who work at the office, those who stay at home to work—and I’m not breaking new ground when I say that all mothers are awe-inspiring.

My Mom was a single mom doing it all, part authoritarian, part Wonder Woman. When I reached adulthood her role changed. She gradually became my advocate, my adviser, my role model, and my friend. She was the kind of Mom you tell stories about for generations.

However, my Mom’s Mom was very different. She was distant, critical, and cold where strict would have sufficed. My Mom never held any grudge toward her, though, for what I perceived as maternal shortcomings. Instead, my Mom understood that all moms have a toolbox, and some moms just have a lot more tools than other moms. But you can almost always guarantee that a mom is doing her best with whatever tools she has. What my Mom also realized was that poverty, limited educational and professional opportunities, and addiction issues had limited my Grandmother’s toolbox long before she ever had children. Her Mother wasn’t trying to be a cold, distant figure. She just didn’t have any other tools at her disposal.

If we’re looking at Mother’s Day through the lens of Georgia Family Connection’s purpose—then part of our job is to make sure every mother starts out with a diverse toolbox.

This weekend, while we’re honoring, remembering, and thanking our Moms, who have shaped our lives, let’s also think about what we can do to support all the mothers in our communities when we return to work.

Here are just some resources for our Georgia moms. Happy Mother’s Day.

Planning For Healthy Babies

Georgia Dept. of Education’s Parent’s Guide

SingleMomResources

State Assistance for Single Mothers in Georgia

Second Chance Homes