"Mommy Dearest"
May V&V publishes April 25

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR...

My mom didn’t wear makeup. As a stay-at-home Navy wife raising three kids while my dad was out on deployment for six to nine months, she was rarely seen dressed up. It seemed unnatural to me when she wore a dress with my dad to a squadron dinner or awards event, that just wasn’t my mom. Clothes and fancy things never mattered to her, my mom was more excited about her garden, spending time outdoors and sharing a new recipe with us. Her hands were always rough and hardworking, a bar of rough, gritty Lava soap was always on the sink to wash them with. My mom made every holiday special for us, our meals were homemade, the house was always clean, and she gave 100 percent raising us. What I didn’t realize then, and I appreciate today, was she was a single mom for many months in a year while my dad was out to sea. She didn’t care about her looks, only a great deal about raising us to be smart, well-rounded, independent individuals.

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