Nothing Like A Mothers Love
|
|
Travel is a common theme in my life -- probably started with the family vacation we took every year when I was young. But in all my travels, I have seen another universal theme, a common symbol of unity, love and Peace.
Mom. She's got the big love. From Ethiopia to Seattle, mothers protect us ? the offspring. When we grow up, we may leave her house to build our own, and her cooking to add more flavors to our palates, but she's still the woman that held us to her breast, nurturing and cooing to us, her most-loved child. She would do anything to protect her child.
Koko is not a mother. I'm fascinated by her. She's a 33-year old lowland gorilla who, since infancy, has been working with Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson. With her ability to "talk" to Penny using sign language and a vocabulary of more than 900 words, she speaks of having a baby. Often. Achingly. Her motherly gentleness and protective instincts were displayed when she got a kitten as a companion. This 280 pound ape cradles the kitten, stroking it and purring to it while signing "baby, baby" over and over.
Even Koko, childless, mourns the lost opportunity. But she also doesn't have the heartache of lost children due to the nonsense that goes on in the world today -- drugs, murder, mental torment and wars.
If mothers ruled the world, would there ever be another war? Not if my mom ruled? And probably not yours? Disputes would be settled over a cup of tea, and everyone would end up laughing. On The Cat's Cradle (a favorite blog,) I read this story about Julia Ward Howe's first Mother's Day in 1870 called Mother's Peace Day. Julia, author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, wrote a proclamation which begins with:
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
Julia Ward Howe, Mother's Day Proclamation, 1870
Imagine all the mothers of the world stopping their sons, husbands, and fathers. All the mothers of the Israelis, the Palestinians, the Koreans, the Japanese; all the mothers of the the blacks, the whites, the straights, the gays; all the mothers of the Republicans and the Democrats . . . All the mothers saying:
Enough. Enough! Wouldn't you like some tea.
David Perdew
Writer / Photographer / Consultant
http://www.WorldWantingPeace.com
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/1883095
http://www.60DaysTo100K.comhttp://catcradle.typepad.com/the_cats_cradle/
|
|
|
The Forgotten Secret Of The Ancient Greeks That Shows Us How To Keep Our Teenagers Out Of Trouble
To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to b...(related: Parenting)
Top 50 Mom Quotations
Top 20 Items To Pack In A Diaper Bag
1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply)2. Wipes3. Cream (like Desitin, A&D ointment, Vaseline)4. Baby Powder5. At least one bottle of juice or milk6. A few jars of baby food7. At least one clean outfit8. A few bibs9. A few cloth diapers to clean up spit and other spills10. Items to entertain your baby (rattles, books, toys)11. Baby thermometer12. Teething rings13. Biter biscuits or similar type of crackers14. Medicine ...(related: Parenting)
Treatment Options For Adhd
Ritalin has been shown through the years to be very effective in the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms. Although it has potential side-effects which many families would like to avoid, we have seen it help a lot of people. More recently, other interventions such as EEG biofeedback training have shown themselves to be very useful in treatment as well. A great deal of energy and money has also been invested into the development of non-prescription treatments for ADD ADHD.
Consumers must be aware that there are several alleged remedies for Attention Deficit ...(related: Parenting)
Teaching Your Child Safety
Q. What is the best way to teach safety awareness to young children?A. The best way is to follow your instincts. It is a natural process. You, your parents, your brothers and sisters, any other close members of your family, and your friends provide just the right input.You are your child's first and most important teacher. You, your family, and your friends form for your c...(related: Parenting)
From Childrens Stories To Study Skills: Help Your Children Succeed In School
IntroductionAs a parent who wants the best for your children, there are undoubtedly many things that you already do every day to help your children succeed in school. The purpose of this article is to provide some practical ideas for you to try. Some of these suggestions may be new to you, many will be familiar, and some are just plain common sense but, hopefully, they will all serve as reminders of the many simple steps you can take that are too often taken for granted or forgotten about, due to the hectic pace of everyday living.Read to your kids, whatever their agesFirst of all, read to your children. We all know that this is important, but I'd like to point out that reading aloud should begin in infancy. It can contribute to your baby's developing attention span and receptive language s...(related: Parenting)
Authoritarian Parenting, Permissive Parenting, Or Loving Parenting
Angie was brought up by rigid, authoritarian parents who kept her on a tight leash. They rarely considered her feelings about anything, showing a complete lack of empathy and compassion for her feelings and desires. If she came home five minutes late from school or from an activity, she was punished. Yelling and hitting were their favorite forms of punishment.<...(related: Parenting)
How To Homeschool Without Making Your Child An Outcast
If you are currently homeschooling or considering homeschooling your child, you probably know all the benefits homeschooling can provide. You'll have more ...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | Baby Care Info | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting