Basic HTML Version
4 I The Best Online Education System in the world
A MOTHER’S LESSON ON EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCES
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
Taking my cue from grammar notes on experience and experiences, I shall attempt to classify certain moments
and periods in my life as either my life experiences or my life experience. It is said, and I quote directly: specific,
countable moments in my life as a mother for instance, I could sufficiently cite so, “I have had many wonderful
experiences as a mother.” While it is also proper to take the following statement: Being a wise mother requires
experience, as pointing out the use of experience in an abstract way and not something countable or specific.
(http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/noncount.htm)
Thus, my many experiences as a mother have been variously happy, playing on the range of being deliriously so
to comfortably so. There have been moments in my life when my experiences have been sad, so woefully sad I
couldn’t find a single word to encapsulate those experiences’ very essence. And then of course, there are those
silly, goofy experiences when I have learned that being a mother takes infinite loads of laughter in one’s heart
and an intimate knowledge of what makes my kids guffaw out loud in mindless mirth. All of those experiences I
shall always treasure-bar none. No amount of tears could ever make me love my children any less, nor take
away the genuine pleasure I have derived from being their mother.
Now as to experience, well, simply put, it takes a lot of experience to become a mother in the fullest sense. A
woman who can keep her own counsel works best, and I have to admit that I haven’t completely fallen into
that category yet—but I intend to come to that with time. It can be difficult to keep your mouth shut when
everyone else seems to be chattering about, or to think first before taking a shot and not the other way around.
It can be much easier to shoot first and ask questions later, such as a policeman would often do, but patience
has to be the key that locks the mother’s mouth. There is no better resolution to any impasse or quandary than
the mindful consideration of other’s feelings, especially of one’s spouse and children. Taking a step back to
study your options gives a mother the best deals, every time and all the time. Now that takes experience.
To all the mothers out there, let this simple grammar lesson be a guide to being a mother. Yes, it does take a
certain amount of experience to be a great one, but cherish all the experiences you get in between. By doing so,
you can never be grammatically—or personally—incorrect.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.
Using the writer’s context on experience and experiences, talk about your own.
2.
Why is it more complex to get experience and much easier to collect experiences?
3.
If all jobs in the world required a certain amount of experience, how much of it should apply to your
own career to be considered successful?
4.
Talk about your most glorious experiences.
5.
Do you believe you have enough experience to succeed in your professional career? Why or why not?