10 Reasons Why My Mom is the BEST!

My mom is the best mom, and I love and appreciate her SO much. These are 10 of the reasons I respect and admire her so much, listed in no particular order, except most important one last. Why 10? Because if I didn’t put a number limit on it, the list would be endless. :)

10. She is an encourager.
My mom taught me (and I appreciate that I am still learning from her!) many different things. Most importantly, moral aspects of life, and to focus on God. But even in the less important things, she was always encouraging and teaching. My Mom talks about how talented her kids are artistically and how we got that from my Dad because he is artistic. And while it is true that Dad is artistic, and he passed that down to us, I know that I wouldn’t have enjoyed or developed it as much if it hadn’t been for the way Mom always encouraged us. Whether it was an art project I did as a small child, or the sewing I did as a teenager, or my creative pursuits now, the way my Mom is always saying, “Wow, that’s SO neat! I love it! You should pursue that!” means everything in terms of helping someone to be artistic.

9. She’s always ready to try new things.
Whether its a new kind of food, or going somewhere new to explore, or moving across the country, or discovering new things, my Mom is up for it! I mean, how many American mothers of small children would move to Eastern Europe right after the Berlin Wall came down and life was less than smooth over there to help their husband as he taught the gospel? My mom did! And I don’t remember her complaining about it. I do remember her joy.

8. She stayed home with us to raise and care for us.
When I was small, I just took it as a given that of course Mom would stay home and take care of us. But as I grew older I began to realize how blessed our family really was because she chose to do this. The day in and day out molding of our characters, the constant love and correction, all the wonderful memories, the fact that she was always there when she needed us — because after all, kids spell love T-I-M-E. And we knew we were very loved. And on top of that, she even decided to homeschool us! I went to public school for several years as well, and while it wasn’t bad, homeschooling was SO much better — both in terms of education and in the opportunities it gave me to spend time learning and growing with my family. My mom put SO much work in this, as well as into all other aspects of raising us.

7. She’s a hard worker.
Raising 6 kids, homeschooling them, making home cooked meals every night, taking care of the house, helping others – its no small feat! My mom tackles it head on and definitely doesn’t “eat the bread of idleness”.

6. She is an awesome cook.
I’m talking omnom-licious here. One of many, many things I love about going home is that I get to have my mom’s home cooking. Yes, I enjoy cooking too, but I’d say my cooking style is somewhat different than Mom’s, and there’s some kind of super-loving-magic that my Mom throws in the pot that makes everything so delicious and wonderful. :)

5. She loves and is a helpmeet my Dad.
Both of my parents are amazing. And seeing their marriage growing up- how they work through tough times and how they shine in the good times- makes a profound impact on a child. I know my parents will be together no matter what. I know that they will work together to fix a problem no matter what. I know they love each other, and even more importantly, that they love God. Seeing my Mom fill her role as helpmeet to my Dad is a wonderful example to me. And all of this is such a comfort and encouragement to me – both when I was a child, and now as an adult.

4. She’s just plain fun.
How many of you can say that one of the first times you brought your future-husband home to get to know your family your Mom said, “Hey! Let’s all go outside and do a jig around a can of baked beans?” Anyone? No, I didn’t think so. Yeah, my mom rocks. :)

3. She gives of herself to others.
I don’t think I personally know anyone who is more self-sacrificing than my Mom. From the bigger/more obvious things like staying home with us, to all the little day to day decisions I’ve seen her make that often go unnoticed but where she is constantly thinking of what would be best for others. I need to be more like her in this (and in many ways!)

2. She’s a Proverbs 31 woman.
If you’re not sure what I mean by that, read this.
I rise up and call her blessed.

1. She loves God more than anything else.
… and she worked to instill that in us as well. Its the most valuable lesson she could teach us, because when you get this down, everything else falls into its proper place.