Mother’s Day, Mom | “Ho mom and them”

It comes quite naturally, on autopilot: “Ho mom and them”.

But who are “them”? It is not a majority, although it may sound that way. “Them” is one person. And that’s dad. He has to settle nicely into playing second fiddle in this context.

This phrase probably says a lot about mum’s importance and position in the family hierarchy. We would never think of saying “he dad and them”. It seems strange. But when it is mum who is the main character, then it falls quite naturally.

A good deal of it is probably about the mother’s historical role in the family. If we go back a few generations, it was usually mum who was the glue in the home. While dad was out at sea or at other work, mum made sure that the important wheels turned around the home.

Over time, fortunately, more and more women have had the opportunity to become part of working life outside the home. But it’s still “ho mom and them”. It is hardly due to a disparagement of fathers, but is probably rather a tribute to mothers.

In popular music we find many examples of the love for mum. The Beatles, Elvis, Spice Girls, Tupac, Alicia Keys, Kacey Musgraves, Jan Eggum, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Odd Nordstoga and many, many more have – in different ways – put words to the love of mother.

Nordstoga sings:

But mother, oh mother
Eg lengtar heim and more
I’m big, I’m big
But not that big
Eg lengtar heim and more

And that’s probably how it is for many of us. Even if you grow up, yes, maybe even feel more grown up than mother, mother will always be mother. It was she who carried us forward. It was she who took the brunt of giving birth to us. And it is she who gives her unconditional love to daughters and sons for life.

I know people who never had a proper mother, or who lost her far too early. There is probably a void and a loss greater than the rest of us can imagine.

Today is Mother’s Day, a day that is a nice reminder of how important mum is – every day of the year. Happy Birthday!