Sunday Mornings With Rania: A Note to Mothers on Mothers Day

Rania Mankarious is executive director of Crime Stoppers of Houston. (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

“There are three things I want to be when I grow up, Mommy.”

“What’s that?” I asked my first grader.

“Well, I can’t decide. I’ll either be a teacher, an astronaut or a police woman.” She paused. “I’m not sure which I’ll be. How will I know?”

Thankfully, she looked away and focused back on her craft. But as she did so, I couldn’t help but stare. Her little fingers, so small, were working away. Her biggest issue at this very moment was finishing that craft. That was the biggest thing on her plate. For me, I just continued to stare. What would she be? I wondered… Who will she be? And how will I get her to where she needs to go? The gravity of it all sunk in, ever so slightly, in that precious moment. 

Of course, I turned a simple conversation into the challenge of a lifetime. I am after all, a mother. And on this day, Mother’s Day, I think of all of the other moms out there who also turn little moments into complexities that can’t quite be tackled in a simple moment.

I’m not sure about you, but this day means so much to me…. It has nothing to do with presents or praise. It has everything to do with the simple fact that I live each day recognizing the role of a mother. I think of my own mother (a dynamic, loud, very strong, short Mediterranean women who raised my sister and I to be the best we possibly could be - love you Mom!) and appreciate a time when the community stops to do the same.

What will she be one day? I don’t know and it’s certainly too early to tell but I do know that this very day, and each one before and each one after, will shape her foundation and play an integral role in her future.  

There are many types of mothers, aren’t there? Mothers who “hover,” mothers who let go, mothers who work, are single or stay home. There are moms who identify in nothing other than their children; there are moms who have to carry their own loads and can’t fully focus on anything else. Whatever the type of mom, mothers play a huge role in their children’s life.

And isn’t it true that while we are all different, we share many similarities too. We’re all doctors (who nurse them in the midnight hours when they were sick), lawyers (who advocate for them when they can’t do it alone), coaches (who cheer them on and let them fall when it’s appropriate), drivers, party planners, chefs, teachers, confidants, first responders and more and more and more.

Whatever your family makeup, whatever type of parent you are, I take this day to applaud you. If you’re doing your best, giving your all, finding your own way, I applaud you.

We hopefully all know that those tiny hands, the ones that hold ours today and let go of them tomorrow, will one day realize why the community comes together to celebrate this day. They’ll one day have their own children and sit and wonder how they’ll raise them. And so the circle will continue.

Until then, we remain the springs from which they’ve sprung and while we each do it our own way, I must say, Happy Mother’s Day!

For more information on Crime Stoppers of Houston, go to crime-stoppers.org and follow Crime Stoppers on Facebook. Have topics in mind that you’d like Rania to write about? Email her directly at [email protected]. Read past Sundays with Rania posts here.

Editor's Note: Views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Buzz Magazines.