Writing a post on every Mother’s Day has become customary for me. So why not continue with this tradition this year as well? It’s natural to repeat some of the thoughts, yet I need to be cautious, particularly since the offspring will be the first one to point that out.
On a quick brainstorming, I thought about the roles that mothers play in their personal lives. Being one myself, it is easy as pie to list the tasks we perform. Let us pat ourselves on the back and be proud of the fact that we are rather good in handling multiple responsibilities. Not limited to the ones below, here are some that definitely fall in the territory of motherhood. Every mom is different; still we have our commonalities.
The storyteller with a creative mind
Whether she can sing melodiously or not, a mother puts her baby to sleep with those soothing lullabies. The anthology of childhood remains incomplete without the stories that mommies narrate to their little ones. Warmly snuggled in bed with the apples of her eye, she tells stories that they look forward to with unfiltered innocence.
Mothers surpass all storytellers with their aptitude for crafting tales that they know their children would love to hear.
The emotional fool
Mommies carry with them a baggage of emotions. Some of these feelings make sense, and some do not. Why do we get swayed so easily that our emotions override logic and we are blind to reason?
I remember a piece of advice that a teacher had given to his students for their college admissions essays. He advised: ”Get your essays checked by someone unbiased, definitely not your mom. This is because anything and everything that you write will perhaps make her cry!”
A detective for life!
A mother, with her sharp brains, is a female Sherlock Holmes. She can read between the lines, and her keen sense of observation is extraordinary. It is amazing how mothers are naturally gifted with that great power of deductive reasoning.
It is not necessary for you to share everything with her. From the tone of your voice or the look on your face, she can tell whether you are happy or having a bad time.
Travel back to your childhood, and reminisce about how prompt she was to catch your lies and mischief. Former First Lady Michelle Obama had a funny story to tell in her podcast “My Mama’s Kitchen”. Once as a child when she was given permission to eat one Oreo cookie as a pre-dinner snack, she aimed for two. Her mother immediately caught her trick, saying that she could smell two Oreos in her breath. Only moms can get away with that sort of reasoning!
The free advisor
Most of us moms assume that it is our birthright to give advice to our children, whether those two cents are asked for or not. The area is rather vast, ranging from social etiquette and academics to relationships and fashion. Yes, let us have the humility to recognize that we forget one simple fact: Being a generation apart, our theories may not always work!
With the advice also comes our role as a therapist. Mommy’s kind words of comfort ease the pain in the most difficult times.
And her most magnanimous role is that of the forgiver!
To err is human, to forgive divine, goes the saying. Mothers believe in this maxim to the fullest!
It is hard to find anyone who is as forgiving as a mother. Mothers are stereotyped as having their hearts ruling their heads. They are the eternal forgivers. Your actions may hurt Mom to the core, yet her love and generosity take the upper hand to see you beyond your mistakes.
A beautiful quote comes from French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac: “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.”
A final note
Unconditional love and patience form the edifices of motherhood. A truth that we cannot choose to ignore is that it is because of our moms that the world exists! To all in this sorority, a very happy Mother’s Day!
rashmi writes 