A Mother's Struggle

On Saturday morning I walked to the bank. It was a nice day in Albuquerque. I walked alongside the early morning traffic on Central Avenue.

As I maneuvered my way through the streets, I walked into an argument between two Indian people. A woman, who looked to be in her forties, and a boy who looked 15 or 16 years old, yelled at each other just as I turned right on Columbia Street.

A bottle of Crystal Palace Vodka flew out into the air and shattered onto the cement right in front of me.

As the glass shattered, something occurred to me: this situation was one of mother and son, arguing about the boy's consumption of alcohol and his all-night outing.

Immediately I crossed the street to avoid anymore flying bottles, but I glanced back to see the developments.

"Why are you doing this?!" the mother screamed at her son. "Because I'm bored and I hate these people!" he replied.

What happened next, I didn't expect.

More words were exchanged and without further hesitation the mother grabbed her son and embraced him! He held her and laid his face on her shoulder.

I didn't expect to see a hug, rather, an angry slap to the face, a push or two, but not this desperate act of love this mother tried to convey to her son.

I was a little shaken up as I witnessed this situation unfold right in front of me.

As I walked farther away, thoughts raced through my head. My daughter. My son! How difficult it must be to mother a troubled son or child for that matter?

There was no father figure around to help iron out this mother's troubles that morning. No father to intervene, protect, console, save, and to love this child, just as the mother did, during this difficult time!

There was only one person: the mother.

I couldn't help but think about my son's life, the future; would I, as a single parent, ever encounter a moment like this in my life?

I can only hope not. I must acknowledge, however, that there are harder years ahead.

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Read Christie Cooke's previous Native Moms blog, "Excerpts From My Diary"

Christie Cooke, Navajo, has a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona. She is a graduate of the Freedom Forum's 2007 American Indian Journalism Institute.

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That's why mothers are so

Submitted by geremy on Wed, 2008-05-07 08:27.

That's why mothers are so special, they have this infinite love for their children and are there for them for better and for worse. Now that the Mothers Day is so close I have this strong feeling of affection for my mom, I appreciate and love her very much because I know it wasn't easy to take care of us, she was also a single parent.
Flowers for Mothers because they are so special for us.

What a strong family is made of

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2008-03-17 14:33.

I was once told that a mother loves her son different from her daughter. Not that the love is not equal, it is just different. A mother loves her daughter and pushes her daughter more because she wants her daughter to be strong and independent. To be able to carry a household and raise a family and continue with her education, everything a strong woman is made of. A son is loved to respect women but not afraid to ask for help. I have two sons and a daughter and my expectations are different. My sons are close to my heart, my daughter is also but I want her to be strong. In order for a indian family to be successful their is always a strong woman holding it together.

Reznet

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