The short story "The Word Love" has made this essay a comparison to the main characters mother and a average mother in the states.

Mothering is nature's way to make sure that a child is able to grow and prosper in the world. That one day that child may also experience parenting and share the bond that grows between children and their parents. The Mother, in the short story The Word Love, sympathizes with this description of a mother's duty but is torn between the love for her daughter, and the values of her community. While young, her daughter would ask and then receive whatever nurturing she had craved, but when disciplined was needed the mercy of a loving mother seemed to be lacking. Instead of a loved one rebuking and correcting a child who had disobeyed, a judge would come forth and dispence the sentence on the guilty. Culture, parenting, and the love between mother and daughter seem to collide when observing the mothering of the child, and retribution for wrongdoings.

Motherly love is a driving force in the maternal character's parenting style. The love for her daughter at a younger age shows in her involvement in keeping her daughter happy and close by. These loving feelings appear for her daughter again and again while the main character is young. While in the market place the child was craving for some momphali, a peanut that is sweet roasted. The character's mother allows her to purchase the treat like a mother would buy a piece of candy for her child who asks for one in the checkout isle of a grocery store. During this she says, "Yes, baby, you can have some." Her obvious tone sends warmth to those that hear it. These soft words are spoken by parents to their children when all that is desired is the sight of their child being totally content. Her commitment to her child by teaching her how to write is another example of the maternal love for the main character. The stepping stones of education come from the household. The child was taught how to write by her mother, influencing her career choice to become an English major in college. The mother's influence on the child's education