Family

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A Mother's Tradition

As Mother's Day approaches, I find it easy to recollect my childhood memories. That is because most of my fondest memories center around my mother. She was raised in a single-parent home with three brothers and one sister and was very close to her mom and siblings. My mom told me how she would sometimes sleep with my grandmother and how difficult it was to fall asleep until my grandmother came to bed. My grandmother's presence brought peace of mind.

Similarly, I grew up with three brothers and one sister and it was sometimes difficult to have one-on-one time with my mother. Our house was always full of activity and it was easy to feel unnoticed. The alone times with my mom did come more frequently as we grew older and the demands of young children lessened, but somehow she still managed to display love even in the busy years.

While pondering these memories, I concluded that my favorite one began when I was very young and continued the entire time I lived at home. Occasionally, as a child, I would have bad dreams. Feeling frightened, I would always go to my mom and ask if I could sleep in her bed for the rest of the night. With tenderness, she always allowed me to. Even though I knew this was uncomfortable for her, she never once complained. She just lovingly put her arm around me and held me close. Amazingly, the fearful emotions disappeared the moment I crawled into bed with her. There was a sense of comfort and peace beside her. Listening to my mother breathe somehow made the world feel like a safer place. This was the one-on-one time I cherished most.

Now, as a mother myself, I sometimes hear words whispered in my ear in the middle of the night, saying, "Mommy, can I sleep with you? I had a bad dream." My response is the same as my mother's was, "Of course you can."

Recently, my older daughter mentioned to me that she always found it special, when having a bad dream, knowing that she could get in bed with me. She told me that she has already decided that she, too, will let her children in her bed when they are frightened.

Most definitely, children need to feel secure after a bad dream and it's a mother's honor to be able to give that to them. Even though it wasn't intended, a tradition has started in my family. A "Mother's Tradition" is a tradition where bad dreams are chased away by a mother's love, generation after generation.


C. Beavin
April 27, 2008

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