Celebrating (Other) Mothers this Mother’s Day

Share! Share! Share!

---

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Mail

https://www.tiktok.com/@debrahillsings

---

Celebrating (Other) Mothers

While no one could ever replace my biological mother, I was also raised, nurtured, and loved by women whom I adoringly call my “Other” mothers.

I was blessed to have a wonderful mother. Each Mother’s Day I showed and told her how much I loved and appreciated all she had done for me. If she were alive today, I would cherish our time together. Her wise, spiritual advice and patient listening ear remain a living memory within me. While no one could ever replace my biological mother, I was also raised, nurtured, and loved by women whom I adoringly call my “Other” mothers.

Neighborhood Other Mothers

The Neighborhood Other Mothers are special women who took it upon themselves to watch over me, and guide and encourage me throughout my life.

The Neighborhood Other Mothers are special women who took it upon themselves to watch over me, and guide and encourage me throughout my life. Walking and playing in my Southside Chicago neighborhood as a child, I was both comforted and frustrated by the fact that neighborhood mothers were always on the lookout, ensuring someone else’s child wasn’t getting into any trouble.

---

---

I can’t tell you how many times I would hear a female voice yelling out a kitchen window, “Now you know the street lights are on so it is time for you to get your butt home now.” I always obeyed because I was sure that my mother must have given these other mothers permission to spank my little buttocks if I got sassy and spoke out of line. They say it takes a village to raise a child, my neighborhood community was filled with those village mothers. Many of them were single women and grandmothers who were helping single working women with children. Thanks, neighborhood other mothers for your helping heart and hands.

Teacher Other Mothers

One teacher in particular has treated me and so many of her other students like children of her own, My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs J.

I have fond memories of many teachers from Kindergarten through Graduate School who were outstanding educators. These teachers were focused not only on academic learning but also on their student’s personal and social health and well-being. One teacher in particular has treated me and so many of her other students like children of her own, My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs J.

Mrs. J. is a nonagenarian, and we have remained in close communication for over 50 years. She had high academic expectations for her students and was stern but fair. In her class, I began to love words and the creative use of words in literature and poetry. I still laugh when I remember her saying, “If you have to use a curse or swear word, you must have a very low vocabulary. There are thousands of other words in the English language you could have chosen to speak instead.” She and her husband, who was also a teacher, took our class on a trip from Chicago all the way to California. It was my first plane ride and first time in a hotel. Imagine that.

After moving on from her class, I would always return in the summer to help her prepare her classroom for the upcoming school year. As I and my family (Husband and two daughters) have grown, they also share in the love of Mrs. J. with phone calls, visits, and holiday greeting cards. When my biological mother passed away, Mrs. J. spoke at her funeral and comforted me in her mothering arms, wiping away my tears. I thank her so much and I aspire to be as charitable in spirit as she has been to me and so many others. Thank you, Mrs. J. and my teacher other mothers for making the classroom a home away from home.

---

---

Church Other Mothers

You can always find other mothers in the church. They are teachers, Evangelists, choir leaders, praise dancers, pastors and first ladies, ushers, and deaconesses.

You can always find other mothers in the church. These women, young and old, are filled with faith, and their pocketbooks are filled with peppermints, tissues, bandaids, gum, and a few pennies for you to put in the basket in case you forgot your offering. They would also be quick to give you that “mommy look.” You know the one, that stern unmovable glare that warns you without words that you better behave or else! They are teachers, Evangelists, choir leaders, praise dancers, pastors and first ladies, ushers, and deaconesses. Surrounded by these church other mothers I felt a part of a spiritual community that cherished and loved children. 

These mothers taught me bible stories, and songs and applauded my efforts during Christmas and easter plays. Thank you church other mothers for making church a place of spiritual care and refuge.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let’s not forget the other mothers in this world. Many have their own biological children but with tender compassion, they extend time and resources to nurture and support children in need. 

---

---

---

---

---