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Mothers are often the twinkle of every child’s eyes.
Little girls try to be just like mommy. They smear their faces with hot red lipstick and are caught stumbling as they try on mommy’s high-heeled shoes. Moms are idolized and admired.
Usually, asking any five-year-old girl who they want to be like when they are older will result in a resounding, “Just like my mom.”
Little boys are no different. They want affection, attention and approval from mom.
“When you are little your mom is your best friend. My dad traveled all the time, and so my mom took care of me. Moms are always there. Whenever I was hurt she was by my side,” Bryan Palmer, a junior from Seattle, Wash., said.
As children get older, their perceptions of their parents can change.
“Almost all kids go through a stage where they disagree with their moms and they no longer worship them like they did when they were young, but most kids grow out of it when they get older and eventually gain a genuine respect and admiration for their moms,” Rebecca Lawson, a junior from Hampden, Maine, said.
A number of children go through this stage, but it can be different for each child depending on the relationships they have with their moms.
“Mother-and-son relationships and bonds seem to be different than mother-and-daughter relationships. Moms and daughters seem like they talk more. At the same time, it seems that moms are sometimes more trusting of their sons because they know we can talk care of ourselves,” Aaron Robertshaw, a sophomore from Albany, N.Y., said.
“Mother and daughter bonds can be stronger because moms have gone through some of the same things that their daughters are going through, like dealing with boyfriends in high school. Mothers and sons can also have a bond that can keep them close throughout the years, even though they haven’t gone through the same things,” Kari Moser, a sophomore from Rutland, Vt., said.
Even though mothers have different bonds with their sons and daughters, mothers still are role models for both.
“Bonds can be different between mothers and sons and mothers and daughters, but students seem to agree that moms help to exemplify for their daughters the mothers they want to become and also exemplify for their sons the wives they want to eventually marry,” Lawson said.
“Moms are willing to sacrifice everything they want so their children can be happy. My mom is very talented and sacrifices so much to benefit the lives of her children. Moms are just amazing,” she said.
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