Since it is Mother’s Day, I want to give a shout out to all the mothers reading this.

This is the fifth year for me writing this column, and I have already used most of the good sayings centered around the praise of mothers, but this is one which may refer to some mothers that I felt most would “get a kick out of.”

One thing we know about mothers is that they most often love their children with an unconditional love. We might say that some mothers “think the world revolves around” their children. Another way it has been stated is that they think the sun rises and sets in them … or maybe that they hung the moon!

This old hyperbolic metaphor in many cases means that a person is so self-centered and self important that he or she is only concerned about situations which have personal implications, and shows no consideration for the feelings of others.

The saying goes back to at least the 19th century. But it can also be used to mean that a person feels this way about another person, such as a mate or child, which changes the importance to that person, as in the following earliest available citation from The Farmer’s Advocate, London, Ontario, 1866:

“But this concerns him little. If he but escapes his aunts; For mother thinks the world revolves around him.”

If you have a phrase you would like to see featured here, please text Stan at 931-212-3303 or email him at stan@stclair.net