Strengthening that Mother-Daughter Bond

It's Mother's Day weekend. All over this country, moms will be receiving flowers, candy, and going out to dinner. There will be special celebrations and multiple ways to honor our moms.

Because our relationship with our mother affects all our other relationships, the more we work on making peace and finding a meaningful connection, the more skilled we will be in all other relationships.

Our relationship with mom is one of the closest bonds two people can share. That kind of intimacy requires us to define ourselves apart from her and still be emotionally engaged. This is the work we must do in all healthy relationships – be separate but still attached.

Mothers teach us how to be intimate, to deal with conflict, how to feel about our bodies, how to cope, walk out our faith, and so much more. Moms shape our identity. One of the greatest gifts a mother can give a child is to be a mom who has worked on her own emotional issues. That's right, the better a mother feels about herself as a woman and the more confident she is in her Christ identity, the greater gift she gives to her children.

As a tribute to your mom, name one positive thing your mom gave you that you appreciate.

I'll begin. My mom gave me…

• A sense of independence
• A model of equal partnership with her husband
• Faith and a Christian upbringing
• Common sense
• A role model for balancing business and family
• People skills
• A get it done attitude and work ethic

These are just a few of the things I can quickly recall.

This Mother's Day, think of all your mom has done for you. Send a positive message to her by recalling the good and telling her one or two positives. Make this day special as you honor your mother.

If you had or have a difficult time with your mom, put that aside this one day and focus on the positives. (We all have both positives and negatives.) Make a list and determine you will talk about those this Mother's Day. Moms do the best they can and might fall short, but give grace and honor where you can. 

Work on this important intimate relationship that sets the stage for all others. See if you can strengthen the bond, work through your issues, and make it a day you look forward to celebrating each year.