Mom was the rock in my family

Published 10:29 am Tuesday, May 16, 2023

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My routine is to write my articles on Sunday immediately after returning from church because it has to be turned in to WDN on Monday.  I forgot this past Sunday was going to be Mothers’ Day. Moms were special to all their sons.  Moms always had a special attachment to their sons and I will tell you about just of some of the things moms do for their boys.

They are the doctors in the family!  How many times have you been attended to after a football game in the backyard and suffered an abrasion?  Mom put methylate on it and wrapped up it in gauze and sent you back out to play. It was mom that took you to Dr. Dave or Dr. Swindell when you got sick.  They would give mom the instructions on how to treat your illness and we followed her orders to get well.

It was our moms that washed our uniform after every Little League game when we got our uniforms dirty.  Sometimes overnight because we had a game the next day but she never complained.  It was mom that stitched our dungarees when we busted the knee out playing marbles and always told us that we had better be wearing clean underpants because we might have to go to the hospital.  No mom wanted their son to be caught wearing dirty underpants.

They were our best fan.  From small fry through high school, they would attend every game and pull for their sons like no one else.  Moms are easy to spot at any game because they are the ones that yell loudest at the umpire.  Moms are the ones that fix team meals for all the players after a game and raised the money for team events.  I have always said that any sports club should have moms in it because they get more done and can include their husband when he does not want to be included.

Moms prepare our meals and if you did not like it, you could eat somewhere else.  You never had enough! I can see my mom right now while daddy and I ate and asking, “Harold Jr., have you had enough “?  No one sat down to eat before dad got home and you better wash your hands before you sat to eat.  Mom always told us to stop whistling in the house, never wear a hat in the house and do not put elbows on the table when eating.  Moms could out cook anyone and that includes your wife!

Moms ran the taxi service while you were growing up and gave you permission to bring a friend home.  She would take us to and from practice until you were able to ride your bike.  How many times have any us walked to Mrs. Canady’s Store to and called mom to see if we could bring a friend home?  Mrs. Canady never charged to use her phone because she was a mom too.  Yes, it was mom that that took us to the Turnage on Saturdays when we wanted to go to the movies and we called her to pick us up.  We never wanted her to be seen because it embarrassed us.

Yes, Sunday was Mother’s Day and I am sorry for not wishing all mothers a happy Mother’s Day for those in the WDN reading area.  Some of have lost our moms and we wish every day that their wisdom and support would be there when we need it.  We all grew up in a time when we could not count the mothers we had on our fingers because every lady was like a mom to us.  My mom was a saint and I miss her every day! She was the rock in our family and we never knew it until she was gone.

For the young people that read this column, please heed my advice and appreciate your mom every day  She might be the rock in your family but you will not know it till she is gone! Happy Belated Mother’s Day moms!!

They were the best of times with the best of friends and in the best of places, Washington, N.C. The Original Washington!

Harold Jr.