Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Sunday, May 11, 2008

Jean Canan: 'Mom was special'

My mom was special because she knew the secret to raising children successfully. That secret is to be able to combine firm, consistent discipline with a deep, abiding love that lets a child know that they are cherished, they are special and they will have the support they need to thrive at whatever is important to them.

She and my dad taught me to be kind and loving as they were, as I and my husband raised our own five children. I learned from her that it is more important to give than to receive, and that from a young age, children can be taught that consideration and kindness to others should become a part of their way of life.

She was a grade-school teacher before she was married, and loved by her students as well. She had cancer in her 40s and died in 1946 at age 48, when I was 10 years old. It was a young age to lose my mother, but she had made an indelible impression on my life.

I thank God that she was my mother, and for these precious years we shared.

— Jean Canan, La Crosse