Becoming Our Mothers

the power of good role models

Photo by Hannah Morgan on Unsplash

When I was six, I told my mother that I hated her. We were at a theme park and I was too short to ride the Wipeout. Outside the attraction, earnest and full of hope, I stood with my back to the measuring stick— the one that decided whether or not you were “brave” enough to ride, based on your height. I didn’t measure up. My mother, Gail, was the sacrificial messenger of this…