Ode to Mother

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Congratulations to all the mothers in Jamaica! I greatly appreciate my wife, mother, grandmothers and aunts that have influenced my life. Mothers play a critical role in providing the guidance needed for today's youth. How are children best trained to be responsible, mature, contributing adults? There is no question that a mother moulds the child - who comforts a sick child, who wipes away the tears, who gives so very much, but asks so very little.

A mother is a child's first teacher. According to Sidney Ledson, author of Raising A Brighter Child, "What mothers teach, or fail to teach, intentionally or unintentionally, profoundly influences their children's entire lives. Home is, in a practical sense, currently and traditionally, a child's first school. In an age when mothers are devalued, they deserve even more of our praise, support and thanks. Mothers should be remembered and honoured not only on Mother's Day, but every day of the year.

Reed Markham