Your mother was your first teacher. She was there to show you how to use a spoon. She showed you how to ride a bike. She showed you love when you skinned your knee. She darted out of your house when you tried to eat worms and other insects. She taught you how to make those special family dishes. She taught you patience, kindness and lifted you up when you were down. Most of all she taught you about this great big world and how to show love to others every day.

My mom wasn’t a scholar, but she was a teacher. She was intellectually curious and read books constantly. In our household learning was an everyday occurrence, which meant we took trips to museums, libraries, important places within our state and country and we spent time talking about our family history.  She believed strongly that I needed to know where I came from to understand where I was going.

My fondest memories of my childhood were those where I was eating a bagel with cream cheese out of a tote bag, bare legs swinging under a make shift picnic table at some historical site. Yearly my mom would take me on an excursion down town, visiting the capital and climbing the winding staircase to its top. Eating our lunch on the capital lawn before we took a tour of the famous Brown Palace Hotel and a trip to the United States Mint would top off the day. There were lunches at Marble Colorado overlooking a giant marble dig site, where I could see a cracked Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. My mom didn’t care if it was 100-degrees or below zero outside she would find a fun way to open my eyes to this world.

Now that I’m a mother, I encourage my kids the same way. I have had them venture out and explore the mountains.  I have had them study Geology and my children have brought home more rocks than you can shake a stick at. This doesn’t take away from their massive stick collection. My children’s learning has made them Apiarist and has enhanced there learning of nature and science.

Mothers hold a unique position in their child’s education, because every day they have opportunities to teach their children about this great big world.  All around you are learning opportunities; from a trip to your backyard, grocery store, vacations and even sporting events.   Mothers everywhere never stop teaching.  Happy Mother’s Day.