by Laura Weisskopf Bleill
The stereotype of the Jewish mother is one that has been perpetuated in the media, television and film for decades. Over-protective? Check. Neurotic? Yep. Nagging? Sure. Over-bearing? Often.
So when I became a mother, I had to reconcile how I was going to handle that new label. I was going to be a Jewish mother, but not that kind of a Jewish mother.
But first I had to answer the question — what kind of Jewish mother did I have? The answer: a fantastic one. Sure, my mom exhibits some of those qualities – she worries and she can be very over-protective. But I have yet to meet a great mom who doesn’t do that kind of stuff. It’s not only Jews who have Jewish mothers; they’re everywhere.
My Jewish mother worries if I don’t call her when I get home to Champaign after driving back from her Chicago area home.
My Jewish mother bought me a carbon monoxide detector.
My Jewish mother clips articles out of the newspaper or magazines when she thinks I would like them.
My Jewish mother sat through snow and rain to watch me play softball (for a very bad team) in high school.
My Jewish mother makes me chicken soup – and puts in it my freezer, just in case I get sick.
After my third post-college move, my Jewish mother told me she wasn’t helping me again. Then she drove the truck for the fourth one.
My Jewish mother loves nothing more than to see her grandchildren on Skype.
My Jewish mother is my bagel pusher. She doesn’t dare step foot into Champaign unless she has fresh authentic bagels (whole wheat, please) from our favorite bagel store.
My Jewish mother set up an appointment to have my minivan detailed during a visit home last winter.
My Jewish mother is my biggest fan.
If being a Jewish mother means being like my mom, than that’s a title I’d wear any day of the week, any week of the year.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the “Jewish” mothers out there!
Laura Weisskopf Bleill, a co-founder of chambanamoms.com, has two little girls who might be Jewish mothers someday. She writes “Being a Jew in C-U,” a column about being a Jewish suburban girl in a cornfield, on Thursdays. You can reach her at laura@chambanamoms.com.