Admission

It's funny because I didn't even need this to get into SVU.  

Here's a little story before you read:  When I told my friend, Emily, that I was going to talk about Pride and Prejudice she sort of gave me a look of extreme pity.   She told me, "Mary,  everyone writes their essay about that."  My stomach dropped but then I remembered that mine was going to be different.  It took me kind of a long time to write this essay.  It went through a bunch of people before it went out.  It's funny that SVU didn't see it.  They probably would have appreciated it the most.  But it did it's job all the same.  I got into all the schools that I applied to.  (WIN)

When reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I was struck by the character Mrs. Bennet.  Mrs. Bennet is traditionally viewed as a rather shallow person who has foolish goals and irrational expectations.  I disagree with this interpretation.  I feel that Mrs. Bennet is simply trying to be a good mother.  She is striving to give all five of her daughters a sound, prosperous life.  During the late 1700s, women had few rights and had to depend on the presiding male in their life. Mrs. Bennet tries to provide the protection that her children will need. I see her decisions and actions as high expectations for the futures of her daughters. She only wants the best for her children, and her children's children.  

I believe that being a mother in today's society is an underappreciated responsibility.  Mothers are the caretakers of the future.  There are a lot of elements to being a good mother and  education is a critical part of a mother's success.  A mother has to be a nurse, home economist, teacher, psychologist, diplomat, agriculturist, musician, nutritionist, and nurturer, to be able to deal with the daily affairs of a busy life. She has to be familiar with mathematics, literature, grammar, foreign languages, history, biology, chemistry, and physics, in order to help with school work and to answer the unanswerable questions that youth and children have.  A mother has to be a “Renaissance Man”.

The family is the most intimate form of community, and the mother is the keystone of that institute.  She has to teach her children how to be upstanding citizens in society and to be respectful of others and their beliefs.  A mother has to motivate her children to do the best they can, and to have high standards for themselves.  

I know so many mothers that fulfill this exact description and add their own abilities to the mix.  I know women who are experts with writing, literature, theology, politics, education, and music.  These mothers are the most balanced people I know, and they have been true mentors in my life.  

Throughout my life I have also seen these traits in my own mother.  With the education she received she has been able to shape our lives in the best way possible, and it is truly inspirational to see the time and effort she puts in to each child's life.  My mother is raising four children, is about to see her first go to college, and she has made it very difficult for me to leave.  For every single child, my mother would read a bedtime story, sings a song, and turns out the light, until we were too old for that childish treatment, of course.  She sleeps with my youngest sister, while the other is at a sleepover, because she cannot sleep in the room alone.  At the beginning of each school year she makes a back-to-school treat to help each of us ease into a new and harder year.  She helps each of us as we practice an instrument, and she coaches us through our homework.   Her patience and guidance has helped make me the person I am today.  

Watching my mother has motivated me to become the best I can be.    She has always supported me in whichever field I have wanted to study.  My mother has set me up for a desire to learn everything possible.  This love of learning is what helps me to be successful in anything I do.  My ability to soak up information and share it with others is sustained and encouraged by my parents. Watching these astounding people has given me an ability to support my family and peers.  I have gained a natural ability to teach and connect with people, and with this I have been able to influence the people around  me.  I plan to use what I learn from a liberal arts education for society and a family of my own.  I have been inspired to learn everything I can so, someday, I will be a good mother also.  

Though society may look down on Mrs. Bennet and mothers, I see both in a different light.  Mothers are a strong, intelligent group of people guiding the next generation into a vast and unknown world.