Monday, November 17, 2008

This is the kind of mother I want to be.

Got this as a forward today :

"This is a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?
He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk!
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.
His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we usually learn something valuable from it. "


I am not at all like the mother in this story. I have scolded by little one so many times for "spilling the milk" kind of stuff. I wish to change, to be more like the mother in this story. Doesn't she sound perfect?

13 comments:

PG said...

yes, I'm also trying to be like her, but it almost seems impossible! But, try we should, isn't it? I have stopped getting angry about such things, almost. But, there are so many other situations which take place every day which make me loose my patience. There are so many days when i go to bed and the only thing I wish to God is a little bit more patience with my son. It is proving to be a very tough job right now. But, a wonderful story!

Monika said...

@pg- It's the same here. Seems impossible because usually one is already stressed out with several other things & another mess to clean up does make one lose temper. "Trying" is all we can do. :)

Indian Home Maker said...

Who we admire speaks volumes about us, doesn't it?

I like the wish to be a near perfect, patient and loving mother really sweet. It's normal to loose your temper sometimes, if the desire to be patient is there, then I am sure our children can sense the regret when we do lose our cool. I also apologise profusely whenever I lose my cool, till today ... I am sure you are a great mother.

Mamma mia! Me a mamma? said...

I also got this a while back and I vowed to be more like that mother. I honestly admit that I have failed.

Thanks for reminding me about this story. I hope I can do a better job henceforth...

Monika said...

@IHM- I remember when i was young my mom used to lose patience with us & then cry for hours. Guess all moms are the same

@M4- We all fail sometime or the other.

Artnavy said...

this mother is most definitely perfect but is she real?!

oh i have so much growing up to do

Monika said...

@ARTNAVY- Does not sound real to me. But I guess she'll always be someone to look up to...does not matter whether she is real or fiction.

Mama - Mia said...

:)

one day and one step at a time! :D

cheers!

abha

Monika said...

@mama-mia- well said :)

Monika said...

lovely one monika... I wish i am able to go anywhere near that....

wonderful story, teaches an excellent lesson

Monika said...

@monika- I have a long way to go on this one :)

Swaram said...

Nice one! Really need to learn from such stuff and bring them into practice. Hats off to that Mother!

Monika said...

@Swaram- Welcome to my space :)