Salute the mothers of Bermuda on Sunday

The Bermuda Progressive Labour Party joins with people of all faiths and backgrounds to pause, reflect and give thanks and praise to mothers this Sunday.

While I lost my mother years ago, her instruction and example remains with me always.

What she taught me about sacrifice, caring for your fellow man and having compassion for others will never be forgotten.

This Mother’s Day, I sympathize and mourn with those who have lost their mothers and encourage those who still have a mother to embrace, love and lean on, to cherish them with all your heart.

The foundation of our society both good and ill are shaped by the “hand that rocks the cradle”.

Good mothers are discerning when they select a man to father their children.

Good mothers are discerning not only about what they put in their children’s stomachs but what they feed their minds also.

Good mothers seek a life and strive for a destination for their children’s lives that is better than the one they have known.

Good mothers, whether a father is present or not, mould children into men and women who are able to not only thrive and prosper on their own, but who will make a positive contribution to our people.

There are MANY good mothers in Bermuda and many mothers who are daily working towards becoming better parents to their children.

And while many are doing this without the aid of a help mate in the home, or in their lives, we can see the success stories around us every day — if we choose.

We see it in the majority of young men and women who aren’t seduced by the lure of gangs and crime.

We see it in the majority of young men and women who are working, striving, and achieving in Bermuda. While the best parent in the world is not guaranteed to have a child who stays on the proper path, the teaching we learned as children, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it,” is often proven true.

For those who have failed to show respect and appreciation to those who gave birth to them or to their children, Mother’s Day represents an opportunity. You can change your attitude, your behaviour and the way you treat the mother in your life.

For those who have neglected their children and their responsibilities, you can step up and begin doing what is right. For husbands, boyfriends and partners it is an opportunity to spoil her the way she deserves to be spoiled!

This is a day where our mothers must know that they are not alone.

On behalf of the Progressive Labour Party, our members and supporters, we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day. 

Marc Bean is Leader of the Opposition Progressive Labour Party.