As we settle in for this Mother’s Day weekend, I got thinking a lot about the maternal figures in my life. When I was young, my mom always supported my gaming hobby. We joke now about how my parents told me that a career in video games wasn’t tenable, but the truth is that I had a very supportive family. While never a gamer herself, my mom would bond with me over what I loved, and I’ll always be grateful for that. I was never pushed to do more physical things that I didn’t want to do, like sports, and while the religious component of my childhood did limit some of the games I was able to play as a kid, I was largely granted freedom to love the nerdy stuff that I loved. Even since I abandoned the religion I was raised with, my mother has always accepted and loved me for who I am. I live states away from my mother now, but when I talk to her on the phone or we visit, she still lets me go off on rants about the games I’m enjoying, events I go to, or opportunities that I get. Thanks mom!
My wife, while not a mom (yet, we’ll see when that changes), has always been an incredible support for my hobbies, and she is a gamer herself. We may not have kids, but with three cats and a dog, it can sometimes feel like it. I love getting to spend evenings and weekends with someone that loves the same things I do, hanging out on the couch each playing our own PS4s, surrounded by our fur babies. I couldn’t do what I do now without her.
I’ve also got my mother-in-law who accepts and welcomes me as a son, my sister who is a wonderful mother to her kids, and a few step-moms that have been great. (Divorce sucks, but a huge family can be pretty awesome.) I try to show appreciation for all of them all the time, but Mother’s Day weekend is a great time to shine a spotlight on this wonderful women in my life and how they’ve shaped who I am.
I also want to shout out to all of my friends, colleagues, and industry pals who are mothers, soon to be mothers, prospective might-eventually-be mothers, or just awesome women in general. You’re all incredible people and this industry is so much better for having you in it.
Take a moment this weekend to show the mother figures in your life some appreciation. Happy Mother’s Day weekend from Daily Reaction and PlayStation LifeStyle!
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