I’m 20 years old, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard my mom verbally tell me that she loves me. Asian parents are usually not the best with verbal affection, due to the cultural norms of needing to be independent and not emotionally expressive. When I was younger, this used to bother me a lot. I really wanted to hear those words from my parents! As I have gotten older though, I understand now more than ever that my mom loves me more than words could ever express, and she shows me her affection through her actions. Here are a few of the ways that my mom has shown her love for me:
1. She calls me everyday.
Now that I’m away for college, I know that my mom misses me a lot. She calls me every single day, even if the phone call is as short as two minutes. She asks me how my day has been, and how school is going, and whether or not I’ve eaten. Although these questions don’t seem like anything, I know that they all stem from her genuine concern about my well-being. Even though I’m hours away from home, I never leave my mom’s mind, and I know she is always worrying about me and wanting the best for me.
2. She prepares and packs food for me.
When I find time during the quarter, I like to take weekend trips home to visit my family. My visits are usually very brief, but my mom never lets me return to Davis empty-handed. In the short 2-3 days that I am home, she spends hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking food for me to bring back so that I am well-fed and well-nurtured, even when I am far away from home. She packs me everything from soup to traditional Vietnamese dishes to desserts, so that I’m never missing “Mom’s homemade cooking” too much.
Image source: Zun Zun
3. She comes to visit me.
My mom is the hardest-working person that I know. She works a full-time job as an accountant, and when she comes home from a busy day of work, she cooks and cleans. She rarely has time to herself, but she still makes the time to visit me in Davis occasionally. These visits mean the world to me, because I know that my mom has to sacrifice so much time out of her day to drive up and see me, especially with her busy schedule.
4. She buys me gifts.
Even though I have a job and have my own money now, my mom still randomly buys me presents. She’ll sometimes buy me a new clothing item or a new pair of shoes while she’s out shopping by herself. There’s never an occasion for when she buys me these things, she just buys them because she is thinking of me while she’s out.
Image source: Zun Zun
5. She never complains.
My mom has never complained about doing the things that she’s done for me, even though she always goes above and beyond to take care of me. Because of this, I know that her love for me is absolute and unconditional. She does these things because she loves me so much and because she always wants the best for me. Even though I’m grown now and living on my own, my mom will still do anything and everything in her capacity to give me the world.