So my mother is leaving my dad, and as weird as this may sound to you, I'm proud of her.  She stuck with him all of these years 1) because she loves him and has been with him since she was 17, and 2) because she didn't want to hurt me and my brother.  I've seen her put up with so much my entire life, putting her wants and needs on the backburner for everyone else.  She's been through a lot in her life (an alcoholic father who commited suicide, her father's infedelity, my father's infedelity and addiction, etc..etc..) and I am ready to see her start LIVING!!  She is scared as this is all she's known for about 30+ years...she feels like she is old, and is worried about being lonely and such.  She's 48, but she has the heart and attitude, of a 21 year old (plus, she looks pretty dang good).  We talk about 5 times a day and I know she's been sad.  This morning I talked to her and she said she woke up feeling refreshed, then saw Whitney Houston on T.V. looking all good...ready for a comeback and thought to herself "Life does go on...I'll be okay too"...(granted, she's not Whitney Houston...lol). 

I'm so proud of her.  She deserves so much happiness, and I hope this is just the begining of a new/good time for her.

(Pluto/Moon conj. transit for me AND my brother!)

What is something that made/makes you proud of your mom?

good for her.

I guess I am having mother troubles, and I'm having trouble t hinking of stuff; I guess she went to college at age 46 and got two degrees. That was her biggest life achievement.

After my father's sudden death, my mom threw herself into community activities and getting involved in the world around her, to make up for the enormous void he left in her life. He was her entire reason for living. It was, and is, still hard for her, but in a weird way I think she's become a much more well-rounded person in the process. 

I love to hear stories of older women taking the bull by the horns and reclaiming their lives. Congrats to your mom, if that doesn't sound funny, and I wish her -- and YOU -- all the best in going forward! 

Wow, Shell, good for your mom and I wish her all the best.  That is definitely NOT an easy thing to do and she is very brave.  I hope the best for your dad too, maybe it will be good for him as well.

I am proud of my mom for writing a book when she had no background in writing (in terms of education).  She just sat down and started writing.  She also tried to start up her own business, but unfortunately it failed.  When that happened, she decided to donate all of the supplies she never used to some local schools.  She's got a good heart and is definitely a giver.

tell her 48 is NOT that ooooolllllddddd!!!!

i am proud of my mom (and dad) for getting their GEDs when I was in high school. mom had a 9th grade education and dad had a 6th grade education (both having skipped around so not even that completely).  she was mid-40s, he was mid-50s.

and i'm proud of the way my mom gets on the computer, now at 70. granted, tech support for mom can be excruciating - "Do I have the Google, Dixie? I don't know if I have the Google or not..."

but she'll TRY things.

Wow..all of your stories have me feeling inspired! 

Mimi--...and here I am at 28 feeling disappointed that I'll barely be graduating at 29.  Good for her for doing that!!  I bet you were proud too.

Neva--that is good that your mother did something to put herself out there in the world rather than being engulfed in utter loneliness and solitude.  That took a lot of bravery and pushin' forth I'm sure. 

dolce--it sounds like your mother has a lot of faith in herself.  Did she instill that in you too?  As a mother myself, I try so hard to gain more confidence so that I can instill that in my daughters.

goddess--haha...I tell her that all the time.  My mom also got her GED in her early fourties.  This is AFTER she climbed to the top position in the company she worked for.  She didn't need it, but she felt like dropping out of high school was her biggest regret...and she wanted to close that book.  Oh my gosh, moms and internets do not work well together...and it usually is a hilarious debacle.

Shell - thanks so much for sharing this wonderful story! I am proud of my Mom because she has a lot of gumption. She is an Uber Libra with five? planets there. Oh my god though, negotiate. When someone says no I'd rather not she will keep coming at it from ever impressive angles. It can drive a person nuts, but she has a lot of great ideas.  

Are you worried about her dealing with the dating game?  I'm 23 and a pretty lonely fish.  Then again, I probably don't look as good as your mom.

Dina-funny you should ask.  We were just talking about that today and she mentioned she does't want to deal with the dating scene anytime soon, that she just wants to work on herself.  Much to my relief!

Today I had a real emotional moment with my mom.  This woman has NO IDEA how sensitive I am because I don't show it in front of her because she's usually the one crying about something. I've always felt the need to be hard as a rock for her.  Today I told her how proud I am of her for taking such a new step, even if it's frightening; and that I feel empowered by her actions.  We cried and hugged, and she's never really seen that side of me, although that's how I am 98% of the time.

On top of that, I talked to my dad last night (who I've NEVER been sentimental with, we have a real big issue with communication) and I told him that I love him, I hope he'll still be in our lives, and that I am here for him too.  He sounded happy to hear that.

Pluto/moon transit (conj.) has been tough.....but I'm definitely seeing the benefits.