Mothering

Mothering by Elaine Cannon copyright 1993

I received this book as a Mother's Day gift from my in-laws back in 1996. My first baby wasn't even a year old yet, and we had just moved to southern Oregon--far, far away. I started to read it after I had just finished a "whining" moment with my own mother over the phone. I was lonely and sad and missing my mother. This was a great book of insight and comfort. It's likely out of print, but I imagine that a few Utah libraries may have a copy if you're interested in reading it.

The book is a collection of essays written by Elaine Cannon on various mothering topics. No, it's not about how to get your children potty trained or the best methods of achieving laundry bliss. It addresses what it means to "mother" and the role of motherhood. The blurb under the first essay reads, " Mothering is the best thing to happen to anyone. It is awesome to have that little person's hand in yours and become aware that his or her life is in your hands as well. Whatever the day's struggles, when the child is tucked in bed at last, his or her smile is worth it." Doesn't that just make you want to read more? Okay, I'll give you more. "Mothering is God's way of blessing the world. Women who play the loving, protective part with infants and children, with handicapped people and needful seniors deserve a tribute. Mothers who deal with tough problems of their own prove skillful in helping other women in the challenging role of mothering. As for the rest of us, we are constantly amazed at how those who have paved the way for us remain a part of us forever."

The final section of the book includes essays/tributes on mothering by other writers. One of my favorite paragraphs from these other essays is by Anne Carroll P. Darger: "a well-educated young mother who has been a civic leader, a member of the Junior League, and a newspaper religion columnist for the Idaho Statesman. " Cannon includes these accolades before the reader begins reading the essay, but Darger's beginning paragraph tells us a great deal more.

" When our daughter Elizabeth was finishing her kindergarten year, her teacher asked her students to state what they wanted to be when they grew up. The answers were published in the kindergarten graduation program. There was a wide range of responses: fireman, nurse, teacher, lawyer, astronaut, doctor, actress, artist, sports hero. . . . Elizabeth was the only member of her class who answered, "I want to be a mother." Actually, she said, "I just want to be a plain ol' mother," which was her way of clarifying for her teacher that unlike other little girls in the class who perhaps wanted to be a doctor and a mom, Elizabeth had chosen motherhood as her primary career. I was thrilled to think that we must be doing something right. Because, you see, I am a "plain ol' mother."

Whether one is a "plain ol' mother" or a "mother extraordinaire", we all can use some encouragement and inspiration. This book serves that up with pleasure, wit, and reverence, too.