As we celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for supporting The Ranches. Since 1944 we have been providing a home to kids that needed a place to get a fresh start. While many of our residents will be heading home this weekend to spend time with their mothers, some will remain with us and suffer through a day that the rest of the world seems to enjoy. We’d appreciate your thoughts and prayer for all the kids at The Ranches and especially those that find Mother’s Day to be a sad and difficult day.
The reasons that kids struggle with Mother’s Day are varied, but it generally comes down to one of three scenarios.
Scenario One: The most common Mother’s Day struggle is kids that have tension with their mother due to their own actions. Failing in school, brushes with the law, angry outburst, lying and being disrespectful are all sources of tension in families. The stress is compounded by the feelings of guilt by the parent and insecurity that comes from asking for help to get a child through the difficult years of adolescence.
Scenario Two: The second most common Mother’s Day struggle is kids that have tension with their mother due to the actions of the mother. This can be due to the mother having a limited capacity to provide for her child or it may be due to the mother placing a higher priority on something other than her child. Step fathers and drugs are the two most common choices that push children to the bottom of the priority list.
Scenario Three: A child does not have access to their mother due to death or abandonment. This scenario is especially difficult as there is usually little to no hope that resolution can be found. In most cases, someone very brave and selfless steps in to attempt to fill the hole left by a mother’s departure. While many kids appreciate this effort on the part of a caring adult, they often reject the very person that chose to care for them. This make Mother’s Day difficult for both the child and the caretaker.
I hope you will keep us and mind this Mother’s Day as you celebrate with your family. While we are dedicated to giving kids a fresh start, this weekend we will be a little cautious and tread lightly on this difficult subject. If your mom is still a part of your life, I encourage you to hug her and tell her how much you appreciate her. If your mother has passed or is no longer a part of your life, you have our condolences and hopefully your fond memories will be cherished this weekend. Either way, we’d appreciate your thoughts and prayer for all the kids at The Ranches and especially those that find Mother’s Day to be a sad and difficult day.
Heath Kull
President
