Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers out there. I am particularly grateful to the two mothers in my life, my mom and the Gotham Gal.

I looked at the mirror the other day and saw my mom in my face. I like that. She is a beatiful woman and if I age as well as she has, then I will be a lucky man. I am looking forward to calling her today and catching up on things as we do most every sunday.

We were at dinner last night with a young couple. The young man asked me when we started having children. I told him that the Gotham Gal insisted we have kids before we turned thirty. And so we did.

Jessica was born when we were 29. I am not sure that I was ready to be a father but Joanne was ready to be a mother and so we went for it. She has been an incredible mother to our kids and in many ways to me too.

Mothering is something we all need and thank god for all the mothers out there who provide it to us day in and day out. Today is your day. I hope it is a great one.

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Comments (Archived):

  1. Scott Barnett

    Happy Mothers Day!!! I’m fortunate to have a great wife, mother and two mother-in-laws! And I love them all. I look like my mother too…..

  2. awaldstein

    I am heading to Jersey shortly to spend the day with my Mom.Born in the South Bronx, raised on the Grand Concourse and an amazing women, She turns 94 next month.This pic is when she was 21, just married and pregnant, waiting for my father to ship out to the Philippines in WW2. He came back 3.5 years later to meet his first son, my older brother.

    1. fredwilson

      beautiful woman, your mom.

      1. awaldstein

        Thnx Fred.Her story is so wrapped up in the NY Jewish immigrant dream that it connects me to this city at a very deep level.Statue of Liberty. Synagogues in the LES. Going to the factory with my Grandfather and hanging while he sewed. Trolling the used book bins in the Village with my Dad.Cool to have roots that run deep and start here in the city when they landed at Ellis Island.

        1. pointsnfigures

          Didn’t know your father was a WW2 vet. Check out this: nationalww2museum.org Lots of ways to reconnect with him there. If you know data about his unit, you can trace his path through the Pacific. My wife’s father had a similar story in the Korean War. She got pregnant, he left and then thankfully came back.

          1. awaldstein

            Thanks…In my era (actually this was before I was born), everyone’s father was a vet and everyone in my world had a grandparent as part of the household that kept the families together during the war.I’m sure that my family was not the only one in the Bronx with sisters, inlays, extended family from Europe, living in the big projects with kids and dogs while the dads were overseas.

        2. Elia Freedman

          It’s funny. I was born and spent my early years in Ohio, spent a little time in Florida, and then most of my life in Portland, Oregon, but because I’m Jewish and because my mom’s parents and her parents were from NY, I always felt a connection to the city.

          1. awaldstein

            Great town. Wrapped in the icons of whatever part of your history you choose to embrace.I have a bunch of deep connections here–from my family and immigrant past, from early pre-stadium club music/party days, my penchant for the pop art and poetry scenes downtown.After living everywhere, love being back and rediscovering it again and growing with it as it just keeps changing.

    2. William Mougayar

      Wow. I didn’t know that story about you, Arnold. Wishing you & her a wonderful day.

    3. LE

      I love this stuff. I would probably find it interesting to see all those pictures from back then.As far as your mom’s age “kinnaherra”.

      1. awaldstein

        Thnx….I have a few hours of ancient video taken from a bag of rotting super 8 film now sitting in my hard drive. All very very shot clips, all taken from the time I was born till around my 7th Bday.Amazing stuff–30 seconds w/o audio of my dad reading to me when I was 3. My brother on the day he came home from the hospital. A time capsule watching my this generation of people, all mostly gone in their 20s.

        1. LE

          I wish I had more things like that. Very few pictures, a short video from the NY Worlds Fair, trip to florida, gift shows at the coliseum possibly, my bar mitzvah, (color but no sound, but was done professionally “look at all the dead people” is what you think when you see it now).I have been filming ordinary things for the longest time because the whole point of pictures is seeing them in the future.. So I try to include street scenes, signs, cars anything that typically changes. But even Joanne’s picture that Fred posted, it’s like “yeah I remember that hair style back then and makeup” (which it looks like she doesn’t have any makeup on actually but you get the point).I would die to have a video of my dad reading to me or even me at 3 doing anything.

    4. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

      Happy Mother day for her, by the way, she is a beauty

    5. Donna Brewington White

      On my phone your avatar and your mother’s photo share the screen in close proximity making the resemblance striking. Your family stories are the stuff of novels, memoirs and films, Arnold. An American story. Thank you for sharing these bits and pieces from time to time.

    6. Dave Pinsen

      Great pic, evocative of an era.Grand Concourse reminds me of what Tom Wolfe wrote about it and its history in Bonfire of the Vanities.

      1. awaldstein

        Thanks…perfect way to express thisSometimes we should talk about Paterson as a melting pot. My Dad’s family came from Poland to work in the Silk Mills there. I’m not as close to it but the stories run deep.William Carlos Williams was required reading in my house.

        1. Dave Pinsen

          “He lies on his right side, head near the thunder of the waters filling his dreams!”I drove by Paterson Sunday night, on the why back from seeing my mother. The melting pot has been broken for a long time, but there’s still some grandeur in Paterson’s setting and architecture. I once got lost there, trying to work around I-80 construction, and ended up on a street with some beautiful pre-war buildings with Garrett Mountain rising up at the end of the road.

          1. awaldstein

            Thanks for the poetic line to start my day.A building there, I don’t think so but I should do a visit. Been forever, probably since my Dad taught at the high school some 30 years ago.Many of the next second generation Polish immigrants ended up the buying up all the corner grocery and dime stores in Patterson. That was my reality when I visited.

    7. John Revay

      Great Photo Arnold, I hope you had a wonderful day w/ your mom.

      1. awaldstein

        Thanks John.94 is a really noble age. I think I have some luck with good genes if she is the example I”m following.

  3. takingpitches

    It’s our 6th anniversary and my wife’s first Mother’s Day! The latter makes the former so much more special this year!Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms this year!

    1. fredwilson

      Happy anniversary!

      1. takingpitches

        Thanks Fred!

    2. ShanaC

      happy anniversary!

      1. takingpitches

        Thanks Shana!

    3. Elia Freedman

      That’s fantastic. Congratulations to you both.

      1. pointsnfigures

        Fun. Congrats.

        1. takingpitches

          Thank you!

      2. takingpitches

        Thanks Elia!

    4. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

      Congratulations, Happy mother’s day for your mom and your wife

      1. takingpitches

        Thanks!

        1. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

          You are so welcome

    5. Donna Brewington White

      Congratulations and happy anniversary!

      1. takingpitches

        Thanks Donna! Happy Mother’s Day to you!

    6. kidmercury

      congrats!

      1. takingpitches

        Thanks Kid!

  4. Richard

    Happy Mothers Day, to all the Mom Species.

    1. William Mougayar

      No to leave the dogs out, this mommy is taking the puppies out for a walk.

  5. JLM

    .To all Moms, thanks for birthing us, your babies.My Mom was my champion and burned into me that I could do anything. She forced me to know that and it was exactly what I needed to know.Thanks, Mom.Here she is in WWII. My Mother did wear combat boots.JLM.

    1. Troy Lazarus

      Looks a bold and beautiful mom

    2. Donna Brewington White

      What a beauty! Didn’t know of the dual military influence.My mom said the same …you can do anything. She couldn’t take it much further than that other than to tell me to “get an education” (the answer to everything) and to do my best.

      1. JLM

        .Thanks, Donna. Happy Mother’s Day to you.JLM.

    3. takingpitches

      A woman in uniform – quite stunning!

      1. JLM

        .My Mother was a red head and so is my daughter.JLM.

    4. LE

      That is a great picture and she is super attractive. But more important is what she (and apparently your father) did with respect to encouraging you with a positive attitude that has done so much for you. My parents were great in many ways (not complaining) but they weren’t from that “school” of thought at all.

      1. JLM

        .Thanks, LE, that is very kind. My Mom was really special. She was full of life and vigor and was a truly good person. There is nothing like being one of 6 Irish Catholic girls. They really know how to have fun.The fact that she and my Dad had both served in WWII had a huge impact on them. They were serious but also had a sense that you better enjoy yourself because nobody knew what was going to happen next.I remember when all the kids went to bed (about 7:30 PM in those days) that my Mother and Father were always laughing and having a good time.When my Dad went overseas (Korea, Trieste), she ran the family and did it on a soldier’s pay. She was a great stock picker and invested my Dad’s re-enlistment bonuses and created a tidy fortune.We are all blessed in different ways.I wish that my kids could have known her longer.JLM.

  6. Matt A. Myers

    Are we ever ready to have children? It’s like a startup … you just have to dive in and start! :)Happy Mom’s Day to all mothers out there. Already called my mom. 🙂

  7. fredwilson

    i see that this is going to be a photo thread. so here is me, my brother, and my mom, in the mid 60s on the Rhine River in Germany where my dad was stationed at the time

    1. ShanaC

      you’re cute at that age

      1. fredwilson

        i am surprised you can see that. i can barely make myself out in that picture

        1. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

          Also I think these two boys looked like each other very well. though I do not know who you were there in the picture

    2. jason wright

      looks familiar – Statue of Germania?

    3. Mac

      Where would any of us Baby Boomers be without the moms from the ‘Greatest Generation’. Wonderful tributes and photos today.Happy Mother’s day!

    4. LE

      That’s a great picture. It would make a nice cover for a mother’s day card.

    5. John Revay

      It is that nice you shared photo of your mom. It does not seem like you comment much about your mom, dad and brother on AVC or FW.vc My sense is that you did in the past just, just not much lately.

  8. William Mougayar

    It is interesting to learn about the variety of Mothers Days traditions around the world & the fact that the dates vary wildly, from Feb to Dec. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w…Having kids in 2 parts of the world, my Mom is lucky that she gets to celebrate it twice- March 21st (1st day of Spring) & today.

  9. pointsnfigures

    We had kids before we turned thirty as well. I had the same feeling when my oldest was born. I don’t think anyone is “ready” to have kids.

  10. fredwilson

    and here is the gotham gal with our oldest child, a mother before the age of 30

    1. ShanaC

      She looks great and I couldn’t do what she did.

    2. Elia Freedman

      She could easily pass for 20.

    3. takingpitches

      She looks much the same!

    4. Esayas Gebremedhin

      lovely picture. we are blessed.

    5. John Revay

      GREAT photo – you are a lucky man

    6. Carl Rahn Griffith

      Beautiful picture!

  11. Kirsten Lambertsen

    What a nice post 🙂 I’m sure I speak for most moms when I say it’s the best thing I ever did. Kids do so many wonderful things for your soul.

    1. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

      Kirsten, So sorry for my poor english, because I am not so sure about the meaning of speak for, However I think you mean you are a mother of your boys or girls, If that is right, Kirsten, happy mother’s day for you

      1. Donna Brewington White

        She is a mother.No worries, you are expressing yourself quite well.

        1. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

          Donna, thanks, you are so kind

  12. kirklove

    #freudianslip 😉

    1. fredwilson

      inside joke

  13. ShanaC

    Helping my mother cook quiche and then we’re going to see the Great Gatsby!

    1. jason wright

      the new one, the Leonardo one?

  14. Esayas Gebremedhin

    happy mothers day fred and everyone on avc. i had a great mum as well. genet meaning paradise. everybody loved her cause she was entrepreneurial, passionate, and lovely to everyone. in her teens she eventually made my grandfather prosperous that they even gave him the name habteab meaning the fortunate.

  15. Guest

    I am so thankful to my own mother and my wife, who is such a wonderful mother herself. This day today, though, feels bittersweet. My dad’s mom is at the end of her life, probably weeks, maybe a month or two, left to live. She was very influential in my life, filling in the role model gaps (along with my grandfather) where my parents couldn’t.But since that’s a downer, here’s a nice picture of my wife with my two daughters.

  16. Elia Freedman

    I am so thankful to my own mother and my wife, who is such a wonderful mother herself. This day today, though, feels bittersweet. My dad’s mom is at the end of her life, probably weeks, maybe a month or two, left to live. She was very influential in my life, filling in the role model gaps (along with my grandfather) where my parents couldn’t.But since that’s a downer, here’s a nice picture of my wife with my two daughters. I couldn’t be the person I am today without the three of them.

    1. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

      So sorry to hear news about your Grandma, But it is a great day for you, she is your father mother, so happy mother’s day for you. Also for your wife.Your Daughters seems twins, and they are very cute. in these pictures, showing that they are very happy, So wish everyday happy for all of your families

    2. Donna Brewington White

      Beautiful photo. So much joy.Your description of your paternal grandparents is very familiar. My grandfather died when I was 10, my grandmother before I was 30. Both hard losses but the shining presence of these two relatively simple people in my life has been one of life’s greatest gifts.I am sorry about your grandmother. No words can lessen the bitterness of impending loss. Thankfully, memories do keep people close to us. But, I know it’s not the same.

      1. Elia Freedman

        Thanks. I do feel lucky that she has been in my life for 39 years.

    3. takingpitches

      Beautiful mom and daughters!

      1. Elia Freedman

        Thanks.

    4. William Mougayar

      Thanks for sharing. Great pic!!

  17. LE

    Great post.”but Joanne was ready to be a mother and so we went for it”Here is my mothers (of my children) day story.My ex wife was friends with my sister (which is how we met). So they planned the children so they would be born at the same time. Both of my daughters and my two nieces are only several months apart. I had no idea that was some pact from childhood. (I would have definitely waited until later.)I had bought my ex wife this small advertising coupon book for $10,000 (was given out on college campuses in Philly) a year or two before (from the guy who ended up running Adult Video News was in debt but went on to great fortune) so she was able to raise the kids and do the coupon book in her spare time around the kids schedule. Coupons were done in pagemaker on a mac in the bedroom which I taught her how to do. The reason it worked though was that she was a great salesperson and a hustler, much like Joanne. That’s really important to point out here.She ended up remarrying a guy who has a fairly important job at Adobe. One of the things that impressed her was that she had some clue about Adobe, Macintosh etc. from doing the coupon book and whatever I told her. So the company he worked for meant something. I only mention this because people rarely know the small reasons behind people’s decisions. But I know all of that played into her admiration of him. She almost didn’t want to go out on a second date with him.Last part of this I only mention for all the unmarried woman out there. When she met this guy, after only knowing him for 3 months, she got breast cancer (this was literally right after the divorce.). He stuck with her. Later, maybe two years later she got into a fight with him over something and asked my opinion. I said open and shut he stayed with you after knowing you for such a short period of time other men would have left you’d be foolish to end the relationship. Now they are happily married and have living together for many years.

  18. Pete Griffiths

    Nice thread. Thanks everyone.

  19. Quipio App

    Have a great one AVC nation!

    1. JLM

      .Great pic, well played!JLM.

  20. Schonwangroup.com E cigarette

    Wish it good day for your mother

  21. matthughes

    Happy mother’s day to moms everywhere.My mom had the best sense of humor of anyone I’ve ever known.Having lost my mom far too early, I take solace in tributes like this post that express love and appreciation for moms everywhere.Tell your mother that you love her today — and hug her if you can.

    1. kidmercury

      condolences for losing your mom. i’m fortunate mine is still around though i have some friends who have lost theirs which has led me to dread the day it comes for me. i know it will leave a void.

      1. matthughes

        Thanks for the kind words.

  22. William Mougayar

    Bit of Mothers Day humour 🙂

  23. Donna Brewington White

    What a lovely post, Fred. Thank you. (Mother’s Day evokes words like “lovely”) Appreciate the thread too. It appears that many of the mom’s are out being celebrated today rather than commenting on AVC. I am milking this day but also wanted to stop by here.Gotham Gal is a great example to those of us aspiring to be mothers who inspire their children (and their husbands — I caught that part).If my children cannot say that they had a good mother, then nothing else I accomplish amounts to much. As a woman who works beyond the home, much of what I spend my time doing involves creating a life and opportunities for my children that cannot always be seen in the immediate, although I try to strike a balance.My own mother was very young when I was born and we grew up together. Much of what she taught me as a child, she was still learning herself. She told me things that she hoped were true without having any proof that they were — for example, that I could accomplish anything if I did my best. She made the most of a life with limited opportunities and was determned that I and my sibilings would have more. I grew up thinking I was more like my Dad but as the years go by, I realize that I am very much my mother’s daughter. One of the greatest legacies received from my mother is her fearlessness in striking out into the unknown.Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms at AVC. We represent a lot of different stories, but probably have in common our belief that we can make a difference, which is one of the reasons we are drawn to this community. I admit to being one of the “crazy ones.” My own daughter said as much today in her Mother’s Day facebook/instagram trbute.Here is a photo of my mother and my daughter at my daughter’s 8th birthday party 8 years ago.

    1. Troy Lazarus

      Both Your mom and daughter look beautiful.. I actually see the three of you here 😉

      1. Donna Brewington White

        Thanks, Troy.

  24. pointsnfigures

    Mom’s were kids once. Here is my mom with her father, little brother and sister.

  25. John Revay

    Photo of my mom ( & dad) – both now deceased…we lost my mom 12 years ago. She was a wonderful women & a great mom, always very supportive and proud of her family.My Parents started a garden center & gift shop in the town that I grew up in – both very hard workers… i saw a note over at the Gotham Gals site that her mom started the Green Scene in the 70’s – same time frame.

  26. Prokofy

    I totally agree that you should try to have the kids when you’re younger. For so many biological and psychological reasons. Really, do you want to be waking up with babies in the middle of the night when you’re 42? Or waiting up for teenagers to get home when you’re 56? Okay then, have the babies when you have the energy and the optimum reproductive situation.