My mom was a great mom.
Sure I hated her at times. especially the 12-15 yrs. Ugh, I treated her like such .
But she stuck by her guns and continued doing her job of being my MOM... not my buddy, not my best friend.
I really respect her for that.
My mom was tough. She was strict. She never budged, never gave in. She was consistant. She would explain her reasoning.. and even if I didn't agree with her at least I knew why she did something or decided something.
Yes she spanked me. She also had 'creative' punishments that were sometimes worse.
She had standards of behavior, morals, standards of dress and cleanliness... and she expected us to adhere to them. No excuses.
My mom was amazing. My mom is amazing.
I want to be like my mom.
She was fun. She listened to me. She made me feel like I was important. I was a capable person. I was a worthy contributing member of the family.
Today my mom is one of my best friends... and she is also my mom.