I finished “Mom & Me & Mom” by Maya Angelou yesterday and I woke up thinking about it again today! A testament to how great it is!
10 Thoughts about “Mom & Me & Mom”:
1. A mother’s love is able to cover her faults and shortcomings.
2. Mothers must admit when they are wrong and ask for forgiveness from their child, just as they would in any relationship.
4. A mother helps shape who her daughter is and who she’ll turn out to be. She receives a part of her identity from her mother. Maya said: “I can hardly distinguish where she stops and I begin.”
3. A daughter needs her mother’s love and support. While working in Stockholm, Maya felt insufficient so she sent for her mother. Simply her mother’s presence and attention made a huge difference.
5. Those that receive a mother’s love tend to be more valued by those around them. When Maya’s mom arrived in Stockholm, Maya’s colleagues even began to respond more positively to her.
6. A mother instills confidence in her daughter. When Maya was down, her mother was there to encourage her and lift her up.
7. A mother helps her daughter reach her dreams. Maya’s mother did not hold her back. Even when she needed her, she allowed Maya to go out and fulfill her dreams.
8. A mother is a giver to her daughter. Time, money, housing, wisdom, and availability are among the things that Maya’s mom gave her.
9. A mother instills values in her daughter. Maya’s mother motivated her to get the job that she wanted, even though no other black woman held the job before her. She helped her to recognize the power that she held within herself. She also instilled honesty and independence in her.
10. Mothers should always teach their daughters. I absolutely love this quote from the book. When Maya told her mother that she would be moving out with her son, her mother replied: “All right, you go, but remember this: When you cross my doorstep, you have already been raised. With what you have learned from your Grandmother Henderson in Arkansas and what you have learned from me, you know the difference between right and wrong. Do right. Don’t let anybody raise you from the way you have been raised. Know you will always have to make adaptations, in love, relationships, in friends, in society, in work, but don’t let anybody change your mind. And then remember this: You can always come home.”
This book serves as a wonderful example of how struggles can turn into triumphs within the mother/daughter relationship. Learn more about the book here.
Read: The Book Review: “Mom & Me & Mom” by Maya Angelou
