Sunday, May 10, 2020

Sunday Five - Mothers

I have debated about posting this.  For some of us mother is a complicated subject, for some mother's day is a painful reminder or someone who is no longer in our life.  Today is mother's day in the United States.  As I recall mother's day was a couple of months ago in the United Kingdom.  I always try to avoid topics that upset others, and parents can be upsetting, but we all have them, we all have feelings about them.  My mother has been gone three years, plenty of time for me to reexamine my thoughts and feelings - it has gotten more complex with the passage of time.  

  1. Where was your mother born? 
  2. What was your mother's childhood like? 
  3. How did your mother meet your father? 
  4. Are there things left unsaid, with your mother?
  5. Did mom like you best? 
My answers: 

  1. Where was your mother born? In rural Michigan, north of Lansing. 
  2. What was your mother's childhood like? She was born on the eve of the depression, her parents were subsistence farmers, it was a difficult life until World War II. 
  3. How did your mother meet your father? She went roller skating with another guy, and her dates car broke down, and my father gave her a ride home. 
  4. Are there things left unsaid, with your mother? Yes, best that way.
  5. Did mom like you best? Tough question, she was very fond of my sister, of the three sons - I was probably her favorite.  
Please share your answers in the comments. 

20 comments:

  1. 1 - philadelphia pa

    2 - born 1932, middle child of 3; great depression time. I imagine it wasn't much fun; she never talked about it.

    3 - they were both working for general electric

    4 - plenty

    5 - she hated my sister and I; she always thought my aunt's kids were better than us. YEAH RIGHT! my aunt's 4 kids have a history of drinking, drugs, illegitimate kids, arrests, etc. we did none of those things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. J's grandmother worked for GE,

      Delete
    2. there was a huge GE plant at 69th-70th & elmwood in SW philly. my egg donor COULD have married a college professor, but nooooooooooooo, she married a child abuser sperm donor.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous5/10/2020

    1. My home city
    2. Spoilt only child who never went without but was well brought up.
    3. At a Presbyterian Fellowship Association dance.
    4. While only she, myself and my sister know, she had a child to my uncle while married to my father, and my uncle may or may not know.
    5. Probably me. Oldest child and first born and all that goes with it, along with responsibility now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Where was your mother born? NYC
    What was your mother's childhood like? Mostly very poor. My grandfather did well until the Great Depression. Then it took years to recover. Tenements in Brooklyn. Always food on the table, though. And my grandmother had diamonds and a mink stole, so go figure.
    How did your mother meet your father? In a local park among a group of mutual friends when she was 16 and he was 17. They married four years later.
    Are there things left unsaid, with your mother? Truly, not a lot. I never did tell her she was a narcissist and often cruel, but what would have been the point? Thankfully, she also had many good qualities.
    Did mom like you best? Unfortunately, yes. It hurt my sister -- and me. I was obliged to live up to every one of her expectations, do everything for her, never let her down, always be perfect. Not easy with a woman who felt nothing and no one was ever perfect. I always made a point of living far away.

    Thank you for this morning's therapy session. Where should I send payment?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Parents really shouldn't have favorites.

      Delete
  4. By the way, I love that photo. I had the same T-shirts printed for Jerry and his two sisters, because it was a running joke in his family... and his mother definitely did NOT have a favorite. She adored all three of her kids and showed it. Sadly, his mother died before they even had a chance to wear the T-shirts for her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I gave everyone the shirts, it was the first time in over a decade that all of the family was together.

      Delete
  5. Where was your mother born? Vernon, Texas

    What was your mother's childhood like? Kinda painful; her patents divorced after her father shot and killed her mother's lover. True story.Mom's second husband was not the nicest man.

    How did your mother meet your father? At a party on an Air Force base just outside London. He was in the AF, and she was in high school.

    Are there things left unsaid, with your mother? Nope. We were an open book and the last thing I said to her was 'I love you.'

    Did mom like you best? Of course.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1. Ingham, in Northin Queensland
    2. As far as I know, she was happy
    3. In church
    4. No. I was with her for the last few weeks of her life
    5. My mum was scrupulous about having no favourites, yet seemed to make each of the four of us feel special. I just wish I were as good a person as she. And since I didn't meet my son until he was 45, I have no idea what sort of mother I'd have been. At least we are very close now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having not been a parent, I sometimes wonder how I would have done. The best I could.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5/11/2020

      Rozzie, 5. was interesting about you.

      Delete
  7. My mom was born in Table Grove Illinois
    Mother was orphaned at a young age and separated from her siblings when she was adopted. I think she had some sadness in her childhood.
    Mom & Dad met in high school
    I wish I had just one more conversation.
    I never got the feeling she liked any of the three of us more or less. I guess that's good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sounds like she had a start. One of my grandmothers, had a difficult childhood and it showed.

      Delete
  8. Where was your mother born?--In Cadiz, Ohio, 1916--far eastern Ohio, close to Wheeling, WV.

    What was your mother's childhood like?--Her dad was a prosperous dairy farmer, so even though she grew up during the Great Depression, they had plenty to eat.

    How did your mother meet your father?--At Rio Grande College, Rio Grande, Ohio. This was a small Baptist college. Neither of my parents were Baptists, so go figure! Perhaps it was the cheapest, closest college. Rio Grande is also the original home of Bob Evans farm.

    Are there things left unsaid, with your mother?--No, I don't think so. She had Alzheimer's the last ten years of her life. I was with her the day before she died. She'd had a stroke and was in her bed in the Memory Care unit of an assisted living/nursing home/memory care facility. My dad lived a little one-room apartment in the assisted living part of the same facility, so he was able to be with her everyday.

    Did mom like you best?--I don't think so. There were three of us, all girls, and even though my mom was not very demonstrative or said "I love you" very often or ever, possibly, she showed her love through her her actions. We all felt equally loved. I miss her terribly (she died in 2009), and think about her every day and talk about her often.

    Sorry for the long-winded response to your Sunday Five.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I expected long answers, or no answers, parents are a complicated subject for many people. We need to do more as a society to keep couples closer when they need care.

      Delete
  9. Where was your mother born? MI
    What was your mother's childhood like? So far as I can tell it was a good one.
    How did your mother meet your father? Summer jobs on Mackinac Island
    Are there things left unsaid, with your mother? Not that I am aware.
    Did mom like you best? For awhile until the grandchildren came .....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mackinac - what a fun place to meet.

      Delete