International Women’s Day 2013.

On this day, I want to salute and commend women all over the world and in particular, my mother and godmother. Without all of you, I would never have existed, let alone achieve and enjoy anything in life.

Today, I call upon all fellow humans to help each and every woman expand their potential and pursue their passions in life. Let us help them enjoy equal rights and opportunities and maximize their contributions to their loved ones, communities, workplaces and society.

Truth be told, despite advancements in knowledge, science and technology, there are still discrimination, violence and all kinds of abuses against women in many parts of the world.

Women are oftentimes born to play on an un-level playing field and face many disadvantages throughout their lives.

There are still many stereotypes about women’s place in society. Women have to generally work harder to prove their worth and find their place under the family and organizational sun.

I like to specially pay tribute to one role that many women have to fulfill in their lives – motherhood.

Through this lens, we can see women’s wisdom, strengths, 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. I have to say that it is probably a class act that most woman and not many men can do.

I certainly cannot walk that tightrope and achieve the same results.

She has to carry the baby in her womb, all this while with a sense of joyful expectation. Yet, lurking in the corner of her mind are all kinds of anxieties and anguish.

Labour pain is one of the worst pains in life. A woman 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 all 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 draining 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, counsellor, cheer leader, and friend – and these are all virtues that can help her succeed in any job 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 and at times follow them through meandering tracks 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 counsellor and a friend to stroke them after their failures 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 zones and learn from the hard knocks in life.

A mother has to toggle between her roles as trainers and students. Yes, if she does not know how to follow and learn from her children, she cannot improve her leadership and mothering skills and build bridges and bond with them.

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

It’s sad to see 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 mistakes that our mothers make can help us become a better human. We can learn to be more empathetic to others and have more sympathy for their plights in life.

We can leverage on negative experiences and learn to have more love, kindness and compassion. Instead of being a pitfall, they can be a platform to help us become a stronger, better and more resilient person.

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.

I am thankful and grateful to women. They deserve all the love, kindness and graciousness in every sphere of society. We owe to them much more than we can ever repay in our lifetime.

So, let’s speak up and take positive action for them.

Go4It!