My Mom: a true example of love

When I saw today's Julyinleo topic, the first group of people that came to mind were mothers. When it comes to unconditional love, mothers are the perfect example. I can vouch for my own mom, Mrs. Christiana Agbaragu.

My mom is hardworking, caring, and kind. When you talk about love, you have my mom. Sometimes I wonder why her parents didn't name her Love instead of Christiana, because that would have been a more fitting name.

Shouldn't people be named according to their character and attitude? I hold a little grudge against my grandparents for naming her Christiana instead of Love, but I forgave them long ago because they couldn't have known she would grow up to embody love itself. She was just a baby when they named her.

Despite my mom's ill health, she always makes sure to care for the family. Even on days when staying in bed all day would be the best choice for her, she still wakes up before everyone else to prepare coffee, tea, and food for us. I don't know how she has been so consistent in doing this for the entire nineteen years of my life.

There’s a part of her I greatly admire: no matter how annoyed she might be, she never holds back from doing good and being kind, even to the person that provoked her. She’s the opposite of me in that regard. No matter how many times my sister and I annoy her, she always has our backs. If someone annoyed me as much as we do, I'd ignore them for days until I felt better.

I have a weird eating habit and am quite a picky eater. My mom thinks I don't eat enough, which makes me sick often. She swears she'll stop taking care of me each time I get sick, but ironically, she's always worried and does everything to make sure I get better.

She always has the best interests of others at heart. She makes lot of sacrifices, ignores her needs, and works hard to ensure that everyone in the family is comf. And let's not forget about her being a therapist. Mothers, African mothers, precisely, have a unique way of correcting, helping, and guiding their kids. A typical African kid would understand this, I mean, the shouting, hitting, and all that. But there's this part of them that can’t resist talking softly and sympathizing with you. My mom is no different. You’ll tell her your worries, hoping for pity and kind words, and she’ll do just that after scolding you and reminding you to always use your senses.

I have heard people say things like if they die and have a second life, they would want a different mother, or some even wish to disown their mother. Statements like these make me wonder what their mothers could have done to offend them so deeply, which I can’t fathom. But for sure, my mom will always be my mom, I can’t imagine life without her.