In this blog post, I’d like to talk about the attitude toward life and values I want to emulate, drawing inspiration from my mom, who is my role model.
I want to be a person with a generous heart—someone who is feminine on the outside but strong on the inside. My mom, who embodies both of these qualities, is my role model. She has always been my role model. Since she’s the person I’ve spent the most time with and love the most, I’ve always vaguely wanted to be someone like her. While working on this writing assignment, I was able to reflect specifically on which of my mom’s qualities I’ve always wanted to emulate.
First, I want to be as open-minded as my mom. I tend to be impatient and lack consideration, so I often struggle to understand when others make mistakes. I’m trying very hard to become a more forgiving and easygoing person, but changing my personality is really not easy. That’s why I want to become someone who can overlook others’ mistakes with a broad mind and listen to their worries with patience.
My mom trusts others and quietly waits until they reach their goals on their own. Even when I was repeating a year of high school and playing around instead of studying, she never once told me to study. It wasn’t until after I was accepted into the pre-med program at Seoul National University that she remarked, “You really didn’t study back then.” I wonder if I could have refrained from nagging my daughter—a student retaking the college entrance exam—if I were in my mom’s shoes.
My mom is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. I, too, want to be someone who appears feminine on the surface but has a solid, resilient core—someone who can smile and overcome even the toughest challenges. I rely on my mom a lot. Whenever I share my worries with her, she always gives me warm advice, which gives me great strength. Even my dad always turns to my mom when he has to make important decisions. My mom is truly a huge presence in our family.
When I was in elementary school, the three of us—my mom, my younger sibling, and I—went to study abroad in Canada together. From the preparations for studying abroad to our life there, everything was a joyful memory for me as a child. But looking back now, I realize it must have taken a great deal of courage for my mom. If I were in her shoes, I don’t think I would have had the courage to take two young children to live in a foreign country without being fluent in English. I deeply respect my mom for making that difficult decision for our English education, and I’m always grateful to her.
My mom has always been my role model. That’s why, when I was young, I really hated it when people told me I took after my dad. But now that I’m older, it makes me happy every time I hear that I take after my mom or that the way I speak is just like hers. I want to become a wise person like my mom—someone who possesses not only outward beauty but also a generous heart and inner strength.
