In this ever-changing world, there is no other arm ever open to welcome us back than our mothers. From the first day of our lives until we weave our thread of experiences in this world, they had been with us, and for always. They infuse the kind of richness and immeasurable treasure in our lives that transcends the boundary of any relationship. The values that they have imparted mold our innate personality and we take it with us until the end. 

Each of us has a different story. But as a child, when asked about our life’s heroes, we would always bring up either of our parents. That’s because they are the most influential people that we knew, and the closest to our hearts by far. But as it goes, our mothers are more hands-on in raising children, and our fathers’ strongest support system.

I never truly understood the intricacies of motherhood until I became one. And indeed, it is one ride of life filled with a myriad of emotions. From the pain of childbirth, the daunting demands of raising children, and the irrepressible joy that they bring in little details. There are also sacrifices.

Moms sacrifice not only the good nine months bearing her baby along with pregnancy acne. There is that physical sacrifice of ten pounds of body fat she may never lose again. The majority of moms don’t- stereotypically. We only physically grow sidewards while our children grow upwards.

Some mothers may also give up on their dreams and become virtual prisoners of their homes. Especially when her work interferes with her family life or vice versa. She goes beyond chores, even giving up her social life to fend for her family. But the pleasure in raising her kid on her own sinews is one balancing achievement in the trade-off. It is, as they say, the noblest profession where all other professions sprang from.

There are also the overwhelming throes of depression along the way with this judgmental modern society. Need we say the struggle that sometimes sprang from the person she chose to marry? The psychological trauma is inevitable if we were to adhere to the social conflict set for the world. But no one is doing motherhood wrong until it is perceptibly deviating from the context of what is right. No one’s doing it perfectly either. There are flaws, there are lapses but that is just us humans doing our best as humans.

Perhaps one of a mother’s greatest fear is the race with time. The time when the children leave the home and leave her with the empty and peeling paints of what used to be home. It is unavoidable either. Sometimes changes draw parents and children apart. Other times circumstances put a physical or emotional distance between them. But eventually, the kids that made up the home will leave the home to build their own.

But no matter how long or tiring the journey, you are fortunate if you still have your mom or wife with you. Many others wish to have theirs with them but can only whisper soliloquy in empty air.

But motherhood is not about biologically having children of your own. It is the love that we breed from our hearts that makes us one. It does not always follow that a woman’s hand and a child’s heart make a home. Every woman is a mother in her own nature of nurturing.

On this new normal Mother’s Day, it pays to touch base with the woman who established our heritage. Check with your wife working across the pond or maybe struggling with your child’s school module. Rewrite her stress and reinforce her with more strength to keep her going. Simple words and gestures are every mom’s fuel and drive. If it takes one happy wife to make a happy life, where else will you start but from the core of your home?

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there!/WDJ