A Mother's Day Note

Things my mother taught me:

During this pandemic, I have come to a deeper appreciation for the things that my mother has taught me. I feel that my mother’s unofficial motto in raising children has always been, “Learn how to survive under any circumstance in life.” She may not agree with me, but here is my experience.

When teaching me, my mother has always supported allowing me to make my own mistakes and overcoming them. When I first joined my parents in the US as a 9-year-old, my mother permitted me to look disheveled for days as I started to learn how to braid my hair. She would jokingly say, “Looks like there’s a nest on your head. How many eggs can fit in there?” Not willing to be teased, something kick-started in me to learn quickly. 

My mother’s teaching techniques are unconventional to the American eye. I remember how she wanted me to know the importance to aim high in life. Thus, she pushed me to obtain what I call, “experiences of hardship,” so that I might appreciate what I have. 

As a teenager, I spent one summer looking for jobs and ended up “volunteering” at a Chinese restaurant and then working at KFC. When my friends heard of these stories, they asked, “Why would your mom make you do that? Why Chinese restaurant and KFC? Aren’t there better places to work?”

But my friends missed the point of my mother’s social experiment. After working in those places, I had a deep sense that my career will never be like that. I do not want to sound like I look down on people in these positions. In truth, I have met some of the most generous and kind-hearted people in my short time at KFC. When a father approached our store to provide something for his sons to eat on his limited income, my manager gave out of her personal finances to him, not shaming him for a moment. Thus, I know there are hard-working and wonderful people there. 

But for me, I was driven even more to achieve the goals that I had for myself. I did not worry about ending up working in a fast-food restaurant, but from these experiences, I knew the importance of being practical with deciding on my career because I know that money is hard to earn. I also know that should I need to, I am not above working in “lowly places” if that is required.

But my mother also gave me gifts that enrich my life with a value that cannot be quantified. One of which is the skill to cook. Rapid forward to the COVID pandemic of 2020, I was cooking at home, and I felt so thankful that I have these survival skills. My mom always cooked at home and made a point of how simple it is to make food that you need to survive. Thanks to my mother’s hard work in the garden and in the kitchen, my family had a steady supply of fresh produce every summer, and they almost never ate out. 

But learning to cook is more than just to survive. It is a way to encourage a healthy lifestyle. As a college student working in Cheraw, SC on improving the diet of those who are on food stamps, I told the nutritionist on our team that if I am hungry, I will quickly cook for myself than grabbing junk food. She looked at me in amazement and said, "Indeed, not everyone is like that." It was my first time realizing what a gift I have in knowing to cook. Furthermore, as a part of the "millennials," I am also learning how to save money for the ever-increasing cost of living. Cooking for myself is definitely a part of "investing-in-my-future" plan. 

On Mother’s Day 2020, I want to dedicate this blog post to my mom. These are only a small sample of what she teaches me consciously or unconsciously. I want to express my deep appreciation and thankfulness to her for teaching me the life skills that I will hold on to for a long time.