I wonder if St. Matthew had been a person of our age he might have written: “Then the helicopter mom of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons.” It is great that Mrs. Zebedee wants the best for her sons. Clearly, Jesus goes on to speak to the sons and basically asks them – are you prepared for what’s coming? But who do you think had a key role in preparing them as the sons answered, “Yes we are”? Mrs. Zebedee. Helicoptering aside, with the grace of God we know that the sons of Zebedee were men of faith and perseverance. They must have had a great mom.
What makes a great mom? It is easy to spot a mom. You know, the ones in the grocery store whose kids run amok. The moms forever at McDonalds, feeding her kid fast food because work kept her overtime at the office. And then gets to home school the children during the pandemic. She takes a moment to put her feet up and then slowly hears the sounds of video games in the next room. And when she goes to correct the situation, curses the Lego she just stepped on… again. If you look closer, you might identify them by their hair at the edge of disarray, the hand print of unknown substances on their outfits about toddler high, and the expressions of growing exhaustion. These are the moms who silently pray they can just get through the day without scarring their children for life…and wondering how to be a great mom.
What makes a great mom? Maybe that’s the wrong question. What makes a faithful mom? That sounds about right to me. A faithful mom, does her best to:
- Be there for her children and family when they need her
- Teach/show her children how to love God
- Teach/show her children to love their siblings and the friends
- Teach/show her children how to be kind and compassionate
- Teach/show her child the importance of self-worth
- Provide food, shelter, and family
- Be a good example to her children in the way she loves family and others
- Make time to have fun with her kids
- Allow room for her children to make mistakes and learn from them, and
- In the end, let them fly on their own.
The path to being that mom will include moments in the grocery store, McDonalds, Legos, hand prints and exhaustion. The list is just one of many lists. Please add your own items.
Seems to me the list is pretty close to one that might describe a good dad, a good friend, a good sibling, and more.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant” It’s a short list, but seems to me a pretty good start at living the life of servant for the love of Christ.