Don’t be so quick to join the ranks of motherhood because once you become a mother, you’re always a mother. It’s not a job you can resign from… there is no retiring from this position once you take it. Each stage of your child’s growth, from infancy to adulthood, has its own difficulties. It doesn’t necessarily get easier. You exchange one set of challenges for another. All that being said, there is no other job title I would rather have or one that I wear more proudly.
I can’t believe it’s been thirty years since my first son was born, his brother following three years later. It seems like yesterday as I think about them running around on the playground or catching tadpoles in the neighborhood pond. Back then, so many people warned me to cherish every minute as the times flies by. I remember making light of the comments thinking I can’t wait till they start school. But they were right and I find myself telling young mothers I meet the exact same thing.
People say there is no harder job than being a mother and that statement has been heavily debated. Of course, there are harder jobs i.e. coal mining, bomb diffusing, performing brain surgery, building skyscrapers. Maybe what’s meant by the phrase is the daunting and endless responsibility that comes with shaping and guiding a human being so that they may take their place in society and make their contribution. The realization that this little one will depend on you from day one for all their needs, education, and sense of self-worth is enough to send any mother (or father) screaming into the night. But the women (and men) who take this task to heart and remain present and consistent in their efforts will be rewarded beyond their expectations and the world will gain another solid citizen.
To all the mothers out there who struggle from day to day making life happen for these little newcomers; believe me, it’s all worth it. And, at the risk of overstating once again those words we’ve all heard, cherish each moment because they will be gone in a blink of the eye and your little one will be grown with children of their own. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
