"There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son, that transcends all other affections of the heart. It is neither to be chilled by selfishness, nor daunted by danger, nor weakened by worthlessness, nor stifled by ingratitude. She will sacrifice every comfort to his convenience; she will surrender every pleasure to his enjoyment; she will glory in his fame, and exult in his prosperity; and if adversity overtake him, he will be the dearer to her by misfortune; and if disgrace settle upon his name, she will still love and cherish him; and if all the world beside cast him off, she will be all the world to him." ~Washington Irving
Disclaimer: This post was not written preferentially. It was only written as a response to the above writing from Washington Irving, which I spotted on another blog in the recent past.
Thought provoking, yes?
My thoughts:
* What insight... from a man... on female emotion. Do you feel it's accurate? I do on many levels.
* Mothers who have [only] daughters may totally not get this. In some ways, I'd say it's the same between mothers and daughters, and in some ways it's completely different -- but not because you don't love your son(s) and daughter(s) equally. The dynamics between mother and daughter are just different. I feel like a lot is "understood" between my daughter and I.
* Wouldn't it be interesting to hear Irving's mom's take on this?
* What if all young men perceived their mother's love this way? We'd be living in a different world, I'd guess.
* I hope Washington Irving, with all of his insight as a son, did not take advantage of his mama.
What is your gut reaction when you read these thoughts by Washington Irving?
Three girls and one boy in my family...and he was the baby, growing up we always joked that mom loved him best! She waited on him and fussed over him in a way that she did not with us. She loved us all the same and we never, ever felt slighted, but he was king. We always joked that it was due to her own upbringing and the times. Who knows? According to Irving, maybe it goes deeper than that! Ps- great pic!
ReplyDeleteWith a daughter and son, I truly understand how very different the relationships are. For one thing, when a son marries, a mother takes a back seat as it should be. So that "all the world to him" bit doesn't seem accurate. Love this photo of you and your son...it's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful photo of you and your son. A very wise woman once told me this..."I don't love one of my children more than another, I just love them differently." That wise woman was my mother, I later found this to be so true as I had children! Thank you for sharing such a lovely sweet post.
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