Where we’re at in America: Politics separating family members

It’s the day after Mother’s Day and so many of you hard-working and career driven mothers have returned to work.

To say that we appreciate you is an understatement. At times, you may feel as though we take things for granted, but I can assure you that is not the case.

Whether it be cooking us a meal when we stop by your house, making sure that we have everything before going on a trip, or just a phone call during the evening, I want to say thank you. Thank you on behalf of the millions of men who sometimes cannot put into words how much their mothers mean to them.

Still, I am concerned about something I saw that really got me thinking. It made me wonder what is happening to family relationships in America. It made me question whether there are limits to a mother’s unconditional love.

Before you continue reading, please watch this 1-minute video, put out by Nextgen America:

Clearly, the video you just watched was left-leaning, but that is not the point. The point here is that the video reveals a mother who seemingly cannot deal with her son having a separate set of ideals. The tone of this video mocks the thousands of mothers who have had children that have become addicted to drugs or, even worse, committed suicide. We see this type of video after a mother has lost a child due to something horrific, not because her son is a Republican or Democrat.

This is where we are at in America. Many have come to a state of mind where they can no longer tolerate their own family members because of their politics. How disheartening. How incredibly sad that we would go to the trouble to mock the tones of truly heartfelt messages in political aim.

Not only did this video take an extreme amount of time to produce, but it did a fantastic job at skating around the true meaning of Mother’s Day.

At the end of the clip, the woman in the video says, “This Mother’s Day, talk to your child about the GOP.”

Whether she had replaced “GOP” with “Democrats,” it would not have mattered.

I hear too often that personal politics get in the way of a lot of family relationships. That’s why most choose not to discuss them at the dinner table and at family gatherings. I know families that have an extreme amount of disagreements when it comes to their political ideology; however, I did not think that their disagreements had the potential to break a family bond.

When I say family member, I am speaking about a 20-year-old who saw the world differently than her parents. I received a message from this young lady, who I will refer to as Amanda, last summer expressing concern over what to do. She informed me that she was kicked out of her house and forced to live with a friend until she could afford a place to live. Amanda told me that her mother and father, who shared a political mindset, found out that she had voted for someone else in the 2016 presidential election. Amanda had informed me of how they had practically abandoned her after understanding her politics. When I asked Amanda about other family members, she told me that her grandmother had died three years prior to all of this occurring. I was shocked. I was only 20-years old myself. What kind of advice was I supposed to give to Amanda? I had seen her tweet a few times, but I was not aware of who she really was.

As I have a mother with enduring love, I had no clue what it must feel like to be Amanda. I prayed for her, which is something I do not often find myself doing, and I hoped that she would find a solution because no one deserved to be in her shoes at that time. A few people within the Twittersphere created her a gofundme account explaining what had happened and it was widely successful. So successful in fact, that a well-known woman from her hometown saw the account and asked Amanda to move in with her. The woman, whose children are already grown, told Amanda that she could stay with her rent-free until she decided to go to college. What a blessing. It’s people like that mother that truly help in times of sadness or struggle. I talk with Amanda still and she is doing well. Last fall Amanda started college at the University of Kentucky, where she is currently enjoying life. Free from the chains of family indoctrination, Amanda can be herself. That’s the way it should be.

The point of all of this is to tell you that Mother’s Day should be a time when you celebrate your mother. Not for her politics or career, but for her love for you. Mother’s Day is not a set holiday to bash a certain political party or decide whether or not which groups deserve praise for being great mothers. Do not EVER allow politics to impact the love you have for your children. Politics are not meant to be taken that seriously, I can promise you that.

If your mother raised, or is currently raising, you to become a successful adult, thank her. Show her how much you appreciate her kindness and compassion, not just yesterday, but every day. Some people do not get the luxury of seeing their mothers whenever they would like to. Some, like Amanda, no longer keep in touch with their biological mothers, and that’s okay. She has a mother in the woman who took her under her wing when she needed it most. As time continues to progress, people will lose their mothers. Don’t be the person that looks back and says you wish you could have done things differently with your child or mother. Time gets away from all of us, you know.

While they may seem annoying sometimes, you only get one mother in life. Remember that.

Love you, Mom!

@RealKyleMorris is a Yellowhammer News contributor and host of The Weekend Briefing that airs noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 101.1 WDYE