Peter Watts: Different perspectives on Mother’s Day

On Mother’s Day, I often reflect on the challenge my own mom faced in a family that never had much but always had enough.

My parents raised three children. My mother taught piano for 55 years. I learned to count to three as she counted off the beats to a never-ending line of would-be Glenn Goulds who struggled through scales on the piano in the dining room, while we were confined to the kitchen. The only student who never did well with her as a teacher was me, and that was my fault, not hers.

She was a working mother of necessity. My father had three jobs when I was a boy. What my mother earned often paid for a pair of shoes or a new sweater or Christmas presents. She was a working mom before the phrase became fashionable. She never thought of working as just another chore. She just did it because it needed to be done.

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The stories below are examples of working moms.

The first is a new study by The Vanier Institute of the Family that talks about new research on the important roles that working mothers play in modern society.

The second is the role that some mothers are taking to make sure that families and their importance is taken seriously by government.

The third story concerns working mothers who have moved to Canada for jobs from countries like the Philippines, but who continue to send money back to those who are still at home.

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And the fourth story is about a volleyball coach who became a surrogate mom to her players after a tragedy took the life of the team’s star player.

READ MORE: Jill Scheer on motherhood in the age of social media

The stories serve the theme that mothers do what they have to do to make life better for their children. Mothers do not seek tangible rewards for their sacrifices; they just do what needs to be done.

I wasn’t an easy child to raise. The mistakes I have made over the years are entirely my responsibility. Whatever little I have contributed to this world is a function of things I learned from my parents.

And so, on this particular weekend, I say: thanks mom.

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