English Original
My mother did not work outside the home until later in life. She then worked part-time in a bakery. She had me play where she could see me from the window, believing only her eyes were good enough to ensure my safety. She was always a mother first.
Even at a young age, it was apparent that "mom" was her most important identity. I felt it in her gaze, her voice, and her touch. From the beginning, she gave me her unwavering attention. Despite life's challenges and her own yearnings, she achieved her primary goal: to be a mother first.
Her care was sometimes excessive. In cold weather, I was bundled in sweaters and earmuffs. In heat, she hurried me to the ocean. She was a worrier; after a famous kidnapping, she placed bottles of coins on the window ledge as an alarm. If anyone threatened me at school, she would confront them. She was my protector and the first to make me feel truly special.
I recall her voice on my first date: "Go," "Have fun," "Don't let him touch you." When an older date stood me up, she found him and "gave him a piece of my mind." Though mortified then, I now cherish that memory.
Later, I marveled at how well she knew me—seeing my potential beyond average grades, believing in me despite my mistakes. She wanted more for me than she had, while I saw her as everything I wanted to be.
Recently, my grown children visited. Tired, they fell asleep. As they slept, I tucked blankets around them, took the phone off the hook, lowered the shades, and watched over them. In that precious moment, I was grateful to be, just as my mother had been, a mother first.
中文翻译
我的母亲直到晚年才外出工作。之后她在面包店做兼职。她让我在她能从窗口看到的地方玩耍，相信只有她的眼睛才能确保我的安全。她始终将母亲的身份放在首位。
即使在年幼时，我也明显感觉到“妈妈”是她最重要的身份。我从她的目光、声音和触摸中感受到了这一点。从一开始，她就给予我坚定不移的关注。尽管生活充满挑战，她也有自己的渴望，但她实现了一个主要目标：首先成为一名母亲。
她的关怀有时过于周到。天冷时，我被裹在厚厚的毛衣里，戴着耳罩。天热时，她急忙带我去海边。她是个忧心忡忡的母亲；在一次著名的绑架案后，她在窗台上放了硬币瓶作为警报。如果有人在学校威胁我，她会去对峙。她是我的保护者，也是第一个让我感到自己与众不同的人。
我仍记得我初次约会时她的声音：“去吧，” “玩得开心，” “别让他碰你。” 当我年纪稍长，一次约会对象放我鸽子时，她找到他并“教训了他一顿”。虽然当时感到尴尬，但现在我珍视这段记忆。
后来，我惊叹于她对我的了解如此之深——她能看到我平均成绩之外的潜力，即使我犯了让他人震惊的错误，她依然相信我。她希望我比她拥有更多，而那时我却认为她就是我想要成为的一切。
最近，我已成年的孩子们来看我。他们累了，很快睡着了。趁他们睡着时，我轻轻给他们盖上毯子，取下电话听筒，放下百叶窗，守护着他们。在那珍贵的时刻，我满怀感激，正如我的母亲一样，首先成为了一位母亲。