I felt threatened and angry by my mom's intense emotions. I couldn't feel how this moment was different from moments in the past.

In the spirit of honoring mothers every day, not just on mother's day, I asked individuals from around the world to share with me, wisdoms from their mothers. Not surprisingly, they confirm how unrelenting and influential our mothers are globally.

Our mothers are usually our first touchstone and it's hard to outgrow the need to seek nurturing and approval from them. But becoming an adult sometimes means outgrowing this reflex -- especially if these responses are hard to come by.