Reflecting on the impact moms have on their kids
CRANBERRY TWP — Each year, Mother's Day provides people the opportunity to recognize the mothers in their lives and consider the hard work and sacrifice parenting requires.
With Mother's Day approaching, those gathered at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center reflected on what the day means to them and the impact their mothers have had on their lives.
“I think it's a great day to show our gratitude to our moms,” said Melanie Feeley, a mother of four. “It's been a blessing. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever done.”
Feeley said she learned a lot growing up watching her mother and learning from the traditions and decisions she made while raising her.
“The faith my mom passed down to us is something we live out very strongly in our own family,” she said. “Choosing to do the right thing, even when it's hard.”
Several also described the spiritual and personal impacts their mothers had on them and their families.
Township resident Arun Potdar recounted his own mother's influence on his life while growing up in India.
“Her name, Gulab, means 'rose.' Her influence on me is mostly spiritual,” he said. “She was a teacher. She always imported in us the importance of reading and education.”
Potdar's father was a businessman, he said, and so he spent much of his time with his mother, learning to read, write and cook.
“She taught me how to cook different things like crab curries, things like that,” he said. “She used to educate the people in the building for free ... Very caring, always.”
Today, Potdar has two children and spends much of his time writing poetry and novels, one of which can be found at the Cranberry Township Public Library.
“It's all my mother's influence,” he said.
Potdar said that in America there are many influences on children's lives in addition to their parents, from schoolwork to entertainment and technology.
Several parents emphasized the need to teach children how to be independent and give them the space to make mistakes and learn from them.
“Give them a lot of independence,” said Annette Lang, a mother of four. “Let them make difficult choices, sometimes they'll make mistakes. My mom just kind of pushed me out there, and I'm glad she did.”
This emphasis on independence seems to pay off, Lang said, explaining how impressed she is with the bravery and confidence of her daughter.
“I say that when I grow up, I want to be like her,” Lang said.
While there are many ways to celebrate Mother's Day, most focus on spending time together with loved ones.
At Cranberry Township Community Park, Chrissy Hayes was pushing her daughter, Bayley, on the swings.
“(Mother's Day) is a time for our family to spend time together,” she said.
Next to her, Courtney Burgess was pushing her daughter, Lainey.
Burgess said she grew up in a large family, and major celebrations could be busy and boisterous affairs.
Today, she said she appreciates more casual celebrations to recognize the important things.
“I try to keep it low key,” Burgess said.
