Maternal Instincts

Although I’m not a big fan of Mother’s Day and all its Hallmark-Crown glory, I couldn’t help thinking of my own mom whenever I saw the maternal-themed balloons, bouquets and jewelry billboards this weekend. She is not the kind of lady who covets jewels, new clothes or flowers, though, and this means all the gaudy decorations of the world only further remind me of what she’s taught me. Since giving birth, my mother has been a master of making something from nothing – she sewed almost all of my clothing herself, made popsicles, bread and every imaginable other food item from scratch, and even crafted homemade Care Bears and Cabbage Patch dolls for me and my sisters. She was able to camouflage any tight times by turning cash-saving projects into adventures, and yet one thing she never camouflaged was herself and her flaws. My mom taught me that being a woman isn’t just about being pretty and applying lipstick, and she showed me this by example – I don’t think I ever saw her wear makeup, wrinkle creams or something that remotely resembled control-top pantyhose. Instead, she painted her face to play make believe, let us dress her in our own zany designs, and sacrificed beauty rest to drive me to late-night theater rehearsals…

In short, I am the creative, resourceful person I am today because she is my mother. If I had the craft supplies on hand, I would make flowers out of origami paper and send them to her and every other mom out there who daringly teaches their daughters to be more than what they see in makeup ads and on the covers of magazines. Thank you, Momma, for teaching me to dream and create.

Psst: Speaking of women who dare to be different, my friend L. M. Harter just launched a fundraising campaign for her new short film. The film, “Birth Mother,” is her directorial debut and is a girl-powered, action-packed horror movie unlike any other. L. is also directing my very own short film a few weekends from now, so by showing support for her film you’ll directly be supporting me. I encourage you to visit her fundraising site to check out her fun movie trailer and contribute to the campaign in any way possible.