In the month of May it seemed only appropriate to explore the first woman to influence us and the world we live in, Mother.

Mother Earth, Mothers of Invention, Mother Tongue. The word mother, can describe many things that are symbols of firsts in our life and world. Mother Earth came first and from that came the introduction of all that it needed to sustain life. Mother Tongue is the first language a person speaks. Mothers of Invention are the women whose talents and ideas make them the first to fulfill a need not previously met.

Lives become emerged in Mother’s love, Mother’s song, Mother’s wisdom. Mother, is often the first word spoken in its many forms, Mom, Mommy, Ma Ma. Nurturing flows from this word, as we reflect back that our mother was the first voice that welcomed us into the world, the first person we ran to when hurt, the first person to sing us a song and the instructor of the first lessons learned.

A biological Mother is where it all begins but not all life solely remains or thrives with one, and that is why there are Step Mothers, Adoptive Mothers and Foster Mothers. There is also a Mother Figure who can fill the role needed for some to know great love, sacrifice and wisdom. It is in that spirit that I remain open to all of its definitions and uses, as the word and role of Mother is far greater than any of us can fully appreciate.

It is that very role that contributes to one of the most complicated relationships (next to marriage) the relationship between mother and child. We weave together a sense of self through the social, moral and intellectual interactions we have all the while under the influence of our biological, adoptive or step mother.

We don’t need to go that deep to understand what a significant role a mother plays in our development. So, with tongue firmly implanted in cheek I give you examples of a mother’s influence:

What Not To Wear: Your mother may have dressed you up in clothes that were not the in style, sent you off to school and failed to understand the importance of fitting in. This was because in her eyes, you are "always beautiful and if the other kids didn’t recognize that, it is because they are jealous." (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the beholder is usually biased. Therefore, mom’s opinion doesn’t count.)

Popularity vs Sensibility: Mom may have stopped you from hanging out late with your friends, causing you to lose popularity and subsequently squashed any chance of scoring a date with the hottest guy in town. Not to worry though, apparently by mom’s calculations "there are plenty of fish in the sea and no good can come from hanging out after dark." (The sea is plentiful but you are likely to throw back more fish than you keep, especially when the light dawns.)

Style by Mom Jury: Upon moving out on your own you were repeatedly reminded of your differences in decorating style. Hence why, the vase you so carefully placed on the fireplace mantle kept migrating to the coffee table. Your floral arrangements were "properly" arranged and looking "much fuller, not all crunched down". Showings of new wall paint colour came with the follow up question "Wouldn’t you rather this colour in the room?" (Benjamin Moore Paints frequent shopper account, very handy.)

It takes some people a while to fully appreciate the role of a mother, especially with stories like these. However, it is a relationship most adults come to know as their most meaningful, a true representation of honesty and enduring love. I bet there are a lot of grown children out there feeling that life without Mom would be a difficult one, and they would be right! Moms’ wisdom may not always be understood, but it is amazing how much we fall back on it.

So, let it be said, a mother’s influence is great and many of us have the elementary school pictures to prove it... what was she thinking?