Jerrys mother was always pleased by her son because he always considered how she would feel but as he grew up and transitioned to manhood she had to give him more control of his life and more freedoms and as a parent that can be scary but she had motivation due to him being all she had in her life since she was a widow and Jerry was a only child. This motivated her to givehim the freedom he wants to become a man because she wants to raise him right and make him happy even though she wants him to always be safe and she trusts him enough to make the right decision and that is why she let him go to the older boys without her there however she stayed near to make sure nothing happened and it gave her a sense of security. In the end she was glad he was able to go off because Jerry had a good time and learned how to hold his breath.