How My 99-Year-Old Mom Became a Social Media Influencer

Mom shocked me when she made a video for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for Jews. I encouraged her to talk about our story of healing after years of challenges.

I had spent decades hearing her constant criticism, about my hair, my nose, my body and my lifestyle, and for many years felt intense anger. I chose not to become a teacher, something she was telling me to do since I was 5 years old. Instead, I embarked on an award-winning creative career, working in many disciplines.

By the time I hit middle age, I knew I had to let of go of my resentment, and documented this personal story of forgiveness in a feature film called Look at Us Now, Mother!

I am now in my late 60s, and we have enjoyed this last lap of both our lives in a close and invigorating relationship. We Facetime, Zoom and chat several times a day. Together, we hit happy hours, stores and museums and traveled the world.

Our adventures included two trips exploring India — with rides on elephants and having our hands dyed with henna. Before sunrise, we climbed onto a small rowboat in Varanasi on the Ganges River to watch a cremation ceremony. After visiting Abu Dhabi and Dubai, we boarded a cruise ship to Jordan, where we hopped on a rickshaw and had a bumpy ride to Petra.

Moving through her 90s with vigor and an open mind, there wasn’t anything Mom wouldn’t do. She always said “yes!”

As she inches toward 100, still living alone, increasingly I’m becoming her go-to person, caregiving when needed. This is a role I am happy to accept.

Nudging her to do a post for the holidays, Mom made a video that spoke honestly about our relationship. Looking right at the camera she said: “Gayle, you came into this world as an artist with a strong personality and I guess I didn’t know how to handle it. Somewhere along the line, I went off track, and hurt you. Badly.

“You are an extraordinary filmmaker and a wonderful artist. You know how proud I am of you. But, yes, I was very harsh in so many ways and for that, I ask your forgiveness. In my heart, I know you forgave me but now I am trying to forgive myself. I love you from the day you were born until the day I die and then I will watch you from afar.”

I was so touched by this powerful message, and her fans went wild. Since I posted this earlier this year, there have been 20,000 plays on Instagram.

In August, Mom becomes a centenarian and to celebrate this milestone, we are booked on a luxury cruise Mediterranean Sea adventure that will take us to Italy, Greece and Croatia.

What is most touching and endearing are the comments both on our thread and the many that are sent to me privately. Such as these: “Your mom is our rockstar” and “Thank you to both of you for sharing your love, wisdom and joy with us each day.”

We get messages from followers all over the world, spanning Nigeria to Australia to Spain, and throughout the Middle East.

Today, I can’t imagine life without her. As Mom often says in our videos, “We are not only mother and daughter, we are best friends.” And thanks to social media, we are touching people across the globe I never thought possible to reach.

Who do YOU follow on social media? Let us know in the comments below.