I did not always feel that my mother, famed entrepreneur Frieda Rapoport Caplan, was the perfect mother. I found I was willing to share why I felt this way when the opportunity arose in the beginning of 2011.
Maureen Ford had called and said she was putting together a collection of more than 100 stories from successful women about things that changed their lives. She was co-authoring the book with my longtime friend, Patty De Dominic, and all proceeds would benefit the Women’s Foundation of California.
Patty is one of the first women who taught me the importance of philanthropy. In 1979, she helped set up the Women’s Foundation of California, a foundation that invests in women to strategically create an economically secure California. I donated all my honorariums from speaking events to the foundation when I first became President of Frieda’s.
After expressing their interest in including my story in their collection, I agreed and we arranged a phone interview. I had written down a few moments that I thought would be appropriate to share with their readers, but Maureen was fascinated by my struggle to accept my mother for who she was, and how I finally found a way to realize that she is the perfect mother for me.
Just last month, “Life Moments for Women” was published and I was pleasantly surprised to find my photo on the cover of the book!
And last week, Maureen emailed me to tell me that my story was featured on their blog!
You can read my story, called “A Watershed Moment.”
Earlier this week, I brought the book to my CEO group where I am the only woman out of 15 entrepreneurs. I passed the book around and one of my colleagues read my two-page story. He commented that the last paragraph really rang true to him: “Accept your parents, family and friends for who they are. No one is perfect.”
As we get ready for Mother’s Day this weekend, I encourage you to accept your mother for who she is. She truly is the PERFECT mother for you!
Karen
P.S. Consider ordering a copy of the book to inspire yourself! It’s an easy read and very inspiring.