Recently, I did something that I had not done since I was a child; I held my mom’s hand. My mom and I were walking in a public setting when she reached over, grabbed, and held my hand. I was shocked at how uncomfortable I was by the situation. I continued to hold on until she let go, out of respect, but as I sit here recalling the situation and contemplating the idiosyncrasies, I realize that this subject is blog post worthy.

The first thing I thought of when recalling the situation with my mom, was how much I love to hold my own son’s hand. I often cringe when I think that there will be a day when he won’t want to hold my hand anymore. I will miss it. I love crossing streets or parking lots with him because he will grab my hand out of habit. I just love the feel of his little hand in mine. It is a very special thing for me. I hold his hand and snuggle with him every chance I get.

I’m willing to bet that my mom misses holding my hand in the same way. Not only am I glad I held on to her grasp, despite the weird and unexplainable discomfort, but I will be looking for the right opportunity to reach out and hold her hand in the future. I'm sure it will be a moment she will cherish and look forward to happening again.

My mom and I have our “history,” as we all do with our moms, but this is a small way to extend myself, beyond my comfort zone, and show her that I love her in a impactful way. Doing this also represents a time in our relationship where, because of my age in the hand holding years, things were more pure without all the baggage of life that gets stacked on.

This is a gift that I vow to give to my mom again. She will only be around for so long and I want our relationship to be as strong as possible. Holding her hand is a simple, yet intimate opportunity to give back in a way that will mean something really special to her. I would want my son to do it for me someday, why not expect that of myself.

 Hold your mom’s hand, or your dad’s for that matter—see what emotions show up. I would love to hear from you.