International Women’s Day, Thursday, 8 March 2018 (1)

International Women’s Day, Thursday, 8 March 2018 (1)

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I like to especially pay tribute to one role that many women have to fulfill in their life – motherhood.

Through this lens, we can see women’s wisdom, strength, and greatness.

In many households, a woman is still expected to do most of the work of looking after the family.

She has to juggle her personal time with her work and her motherly role of looking after the children.

Sometimes, she has to be a full-time mother and a full-time worker at the same time.

This is probably a class act that only a woman and not many men can do.

She has to carry a baby in her womb with a sense of joyful expectation.

Yet, lurking in the corner of her mind are all kinds of anxiety and anguish.

A woman has to go through labor pain, one of the worst pains in life. She has to suffer through it to bring forth one of her own.

That is but only the first part of an exciting and at times heart-wrenching journey.

In bringing up the children, a mother has to put in a large part of her being. She cannot detach any part of her life from fulfilling the mission of motherhood.

As a result, she can enjoy the peaks of many emotionally-fulfilling experiences. She may also have to endure the pits of many emotionally-frustrating exercises.

In performing her duties, a mother has to put on many hats, including taking on many challenging roles and responsibilities.

She has to, at the same time, be a leader, teacher, mentor, coach, counselor, cheerleader, and friend.

These roles carry virtues that can help her succeed in many jobs in the workplace.

Very often, she has to choose between two diametrically different roles or even combine them together.

She needs to lead the children on the right path.

At the same time, she needs to follow them through meandering pathways so that they can learn the art and skill of independence and interdependence.

A mother has to be a disciplinarian and correct the children.

She has to also be a counselor and a friend to stroke them after their failure and strengthen them so that they can fly again.

She has to protect her children.

At the same time, she has to take risks so that her children will push themselves out of their comfort zone and learn from the hard knocks of life.

A mother has to toggle between her roles as a trainer and a student.

Yes, if she does not know how to follow and learn from her children, she cannot improve her leadership and mothering skills.

She cannot build bridges and bond with them.

Do mothers make mistakes? To state the obvious, of course, they do.

All of us make mistakes.

It’s sad to see some people focusing on the downsides of their mothers.

They choose to remember the unpleasant experiences with and even dwell on them.

The fact is, the mistake that a mother makes can help her children become a better human.

Children can learn to be more empathetic to others and have more sympathy for their plight in life.

They can leverage negative experiences and learn to have more love, kindness, and compassion.

Instead of being a pitfall, these experiences can be a platform to help children to become a stronger, better and more resilient person.

Being a mother is definitely not an easy task.

Yet, mothers have to literally pour out their heart, soul, and spirit to fulfill their role and responsibilities.

All mothers start as novices. They perform their duties to the best of their abilities with whatever resources they have.

It’s a role that they cannot run away from and they carry the emotional and other obligations throughout their life.

If motherhood is a job, it’s the lowest paid for hard work.

It’s a job that requires them to be on a standby mode to fulfill needs – on-demand and on a 24/7 basis.

What’s more, motherhood is not a part of any curriculum in schools.

There is no course, on-the-job training, or personal coaching and guidance to prepare them for the important role of a being a mother.

After childbirth, mothers serve as “bosses” who cannot express their appreciation adequately.

When the children are matured enough, they are often so caught up in their studies or work that they don’t do or say enough to convey their gratitude to their mothers.

Still, mothers continue their care and contribution without any expectation.

They do not seek any recognition or reward.

Through the goodness of our mother’s love, we can catch a glimpse of the amazing and immeasurable love of our Creator.

A true mother’s love is unconditional. It will never falter and is forever.

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

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