"Mom, I want a cycle"

"Mom, I want a cycle," I kept pestering her when I was around 7.

"Your cousin has a cycle that he no longer uses. Use it for a while. Then we will buy you a new one," she said. We took it.

"Mom, I want a bigger cycle. All my friends have one," I told her a year later.

"Accomplish this task," she said, setting a goal, "and we will buy you a new one."

A few months later, after accomplishing the goal, I reminded her, "Mom, you had promised you would buy me a new cycle once I achieve this."

The next week, she took me to Upadhyay Cycle Mart, and we bought an amazing green cycle called Brute Force.

My school was 4 km away. I used to take a school bus until 4th grade and then the BEST public transport bus until 6th grade.

"Mom, can I go to school on my cycle? I have seen some older kids do that. I can too." I asked one day, unleashing all my charm. This one was a big ask. The way from my home to school involved multiple big & busy streets, a notorious sub-way, and busy junctions. The roads had heavy vehicles at all times. So the answer was a big "NO." But, as usual, I kept at it, pestering her to allow me to go on the cycle. Miraculously, one day, she said, "okay, but promise me you will be very careful; it is very dangerous cycling all the way to school."

Little did she know what was to come next. The neighbors & relatives were all shocked at what she was putting her child through, risking the kid's life this way! "You must be really crazy to allow such a small kid to cycle 4 km through such dense traffic and dangerous streets," said one of the neighbors. "Everything will be fine. He will be careful, I am sure," she assured the neighbor, though I sensed she was assuring herself more while saying it.

For the next 3 years until the end of school, I rode my cycle. Another friend from nearby joined me too. We did have a few scary moments, took a few tumbles, suffered a lot of bruises, but in the end, we made great memories. I had my own "vehicle" for transport, and I felt like a boss! If mom hadn't empowered me, trusted me, I would have never made those awesome memories. From the first tricycle, first bicycle, first bike to the first car, the fuel that drives the wheels of every vehicle I have ridden/driven is the belief and empowerment that she has entrusted me with.

Goal setting, financial planning, empathy, empowerment, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, integrity, motivation, resource management—you name it, and they have it! We all look up to several seniors/leaders for how they exhibit leadership traits that inspire us, but we all often forget about that one leader that we witness from the day we open our eyes on this planet. The leader who doesn't even know they are a great leader and treats their kids all their lives as if they are the leaders.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers, grandmothers, and siblings/fathers/caregivers who stepped up to the role of a mother. The best leaders. The best teachers. The best friends.