The boys lined up on the preparatory line, waiting for the starting alarm to begin the 3.1 mile race. Parents and fans stood on the sidelines ready to cheer as the herd of young men readied themselves to cheer the winner. My nephew, John Rudasingwa was among the sprinters that day.
At the end of the game he said the words my mother once said: "Make me not want to quit.”
He said later, "When it gets tough I feel like I’m going to get sick, then I hear my mom’s voice cheering for me and it makes me not want to quit.”
That is the influence of a mother’s words on her children as they embark on the great race of life, and Rudasingwa confesses that it is a picture he has carried with him through the years.
I wonder how many children walk away from their dreams because there is no one to encourage them.
Happiness and success can be sought and found at any age, it just might take a little more effort compared to people who received early words of encouragement from their mother.
A child’s viewpoint of the world is heavily influenced by the words and actions of their primary care giver, often the mother. I also wonder how many children never even attempt to reach for their dreams because someone they trusted along the way told them they couldn’t do it.
A simple word from a mother can create a smile on a depressed child’s face, lighten the heart of a husband loaded down with burdens, and fan into flame the dying embers of a friend’s smoldering dreams, cheer brothers and sisters.
From the time a child emerges from the safety of a mother’s womb, are shaped and molded by the power of a mother’s words.
Rudasingwa remembers that his mother used to tell him how clever he was, how proud she was to have such a talented boy, she believed in me and she also told him that that there was nothing he could not do. He confesses that in his teenage years those words never carried meaning for him.
Today he looks back and he is thankful. With that, a smile spread across his dimpled cheeks and tears trickled down his smiling face. Mothers are extremely influential people in society. Their words and actions build an initial basis of belief, self esteem, direction, dreams and enthusiasm in a child.