The mother as teacher

My verbal response was terser, though perhaps less poignant: "Mothers," I said "should be on the front page of every issue of Learning Post." The quizzicality abruptly faded as the purport of my meaning took root. Motherhood and teaching are not disparate vocations; they are a fused intertwinement of oneness.

So, join Learning Post today as we pay homage to the most dedicated teachers the world will ever know: mothers. It was Henry Ward Beecher, the great American orator, who proffered this eloquence: "The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom."

Each of us, should we explore our personal essence, owes the biggest unsecured debt to our mothers for the knowledge and character she instilled. For mom, there were no term breaks or weekends off. She taught everyday, all day, at night, and everywhere - at the malls, in the car, before and after school, on vacation, and over dinner. No regular teacher could come near her stamina.

She taught us everything from how to tie our shoes, ride a bike, wash our hands, change our clothes, give respect, obey the laws and how to cross the street. She taught us our ghaw ghai, khaw khai's, our one, two, three's and our ABCs. She was the first person we ran to when we skinned our knee, lost in maak ghep or won in sabaa, scored the winning football goal or got our first pubescent kiss. She picked us up when we fell (no matter how low) and straightened our paths when we erred. She taught us right from wrong, how to right our wrongs, and how to forgive others' wrongs.

She taught us willingly, selflessly, and without compensation or promise of gain. And she oft' repeated the lessons, again and again, patiently and untiringly, until she was sure that we'd got it right. And when others lost faith in you, it was mom who taught you to persevere and to try again. "My mother never gave up on me. I messed up in school so much they sent me home regularly, but my mother sent me right back," said Denzel Washington, the Oscar winning denizen of Hollywood.

As the ageless adage goes: Teach a man, and you've taught but one person; teach a mother and you've taught an entire generation.

The hand that sooths, the voice that calms, the words that encourage, and the wisdom that guides. Those are the makings of the real Mother's Day. There's the feeling that no matter how unlucky are we, we know mom is our cheerleader; no matter how unaccepted or disliked we are, mom will always accept and love us for who we are, not for what we may have, or will become.

Patience is her pastime, vigilance her virtue, kindness her calling card, encouragement her trademark, and love her stock in trade. She always pushed you to do your best, nay, to be the best. "My mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the pope.' Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso," said a mother's son named Pablo.

But the words of the rich and famous can not trump those of a witness in present tense. It takes Rachael Ross, a second grader, to put things in perspective: "My mom is special because she plays cards with me. I always win. She helps me with my homework. She hugs me a lot. She buys me ice cream. We like to tickle each other. She reads to me and buys me many books. She volunteers in school to make me happy. She works hard so I can go to dancing school. My mom is very special to me and we love one another very much."

So, join Learning Post today and let's wish all mothers and all kinds of mothers - working mothers, teenage mothers, step-mothers, single mothers, stay-at-home mothers, surrogate mothers, chief executive mothers, imperfect mothers, adoptive mothers, mothers with attitude, grandmothers, soldiering mothers, lesbian mothers, soccer mothers, super mothers, mothers of invention, Klong Toey mothers, mothers-to-be, childless mothers and even mother earth - a happy Mother's Day.

And to the most special mother of Thailand, we wish Her Majesty the Queen a joyous Happy Birthday and loving Mother's Day from the Learning Post.