Mother Knows Best

Have you ever seen Disney's "Tangled"?

If you haven't, go watch it.

Whether you're a mother of boys or girls, or not a mother at all and just looking for a sweet movie, it's wonderful.

There's a song that Mother Gothel sings to Rapunzel. Here's just a glimpse of it:

"Go ahead and leave me I deserve it.
Let me die alone here, be my guest,
When it's too late you'll see, just wait.
Mother knows best.

Mother knows best.
Take it from your mumsy.
On your own you won't survive.

Sloppy, under-dressed,
Immature, clumsy!
Please, they'll eat you up alive.

Gullible, naive,
Positively grubby!
Ditsy and a bit, well... hmm... vague.

Plus, I believe
Gettin' kinda chubby.
I'm just saying 'cause I love you.

Mother understands.
Mother's here to help you."

Oh, yes. She's convincing Rapunzel she doesn't need to leave the tower. After all, if Rapunzel stays in the tower she never has to face the scary outside world. Mother Gothel is protecting her child from things that could hurt her.

What a nightmare, right?

Yes. Considering Mother Gothel isn't actually Rapunzel's mother and she just wants to keep Rapunzel to herself for certain reasons (go watch the movie!), it is a nightmare.

But that's not the point.

The question is, as a mother, am I like that?

Now, Michael is only seven (almost eight!) weeks old at this point, but I've already made a mental list of people I don't want to be like. I've already made a mental list of things I don't want to do. I've already made a list of the nightmare-ish mother I don't want to be.

Doesn't every mother?

There's a saying that a girl grows to be just like her mother.

I can't say I'd mind.

Just over these past seven (almost eight!) weeks I've come to appreciate my mother so much. She gave up so much for her three daughters, and continues to do nothing but give. She's always ready with advice, a lesson, a lecture, and so forth. I've learned as I've grown to really take her advice to heart. If not, there always tends to be a point where she gets to say, "I told you so."


Now, this is not to say I'm not still a typical daughter.

I still roll my eyes. I still argue. I still act like a child with my mother some of the time. Ultimately, however, we've gotten to the point where we're friends. In fact, my mother and my sisters are my best friends.

This is what I want with my children.

I want to raise my children with limitations that aren't outrageous and love that is. I want to raise them so that someday we are best friends like I am with my mother and my sisters. I want my family to really be a family.

I think the world's lost sight of what a family truly is these days.

I'm not saying that mother really always knows best all the time. But, you have to admit, mothers do have a sort of sixth sense that no one can explain.

What is your mother always right about?