Motherhood for the Masses

As Mother’s Day approaches, motherhood is obviously on the minds of many. A “mother” is defined, by www.dictionary.com, as,

–noun

1.	a female parent.

2.	(often initial capital letter) one’s female parent.

3.	a mother-in-law, stepmother, or adoptive mother.

4.	a term of address for a female parent or a woman having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a female parent.

5.	a term of familiar address for an old or elderly woman.

6.	mother superior.

7.	a woman exercising control, influence, or authority like that of a mother: to be a mother to someone.

8.	the qualities characteristic of a mother, as maternal affection: It is the mother in her showing itself.

9.	something or someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something else; origin or source.

10.	(in disc recording) a mold from which stampers are made.

–adjective

11.	being a mother: a mother bird.

12.	of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a mother: mother love.

13.	derived from or as if from one’s mother; native: his mother culture.

14.	bearing a relation like that of a mother, as in being the origin, source, or protector: the mother company and its affiliates; the mother computer and its network of terminals.

–verb (used with object)

15.	to be the mother of; give origin or rise to.

16.	to acknowledge oneself the author of; assume as one’s own.

17.	to care for or protect like a mother; act maternally toward.

–verb (used without object)

18.	to perform the tasks or duties of a female parent; act maternally: a woman with a need to mother.

Interestingly, for a word that people generally think of as a woman who births a child from her loins, the word pack a whole lot of whollop. The word holds many emotions for both mothers and people who have a mother. However, at this time of year, people forget and remember, all at the same time, what a mother truly is.

A mother is many things. She is a friend, a guide, a resource, and a reprimander. She is, indeed, one who bears a child or has a child. However, that is not all. Many women who do not have children are mothers. The last of the definitions, “to perform the tasks or duties of a female parent,” is the one that grabs me.

A mother is one who nurtures, whether it is an animal or a student or a child. She is one who brings out the best in others. She is one who chides, gently or harshly, in such a way as to help others learn the lessons of life. She may be a teacher, a friend, or a relative. She may not have a person but an animal that she mothers. For the last five years, I’ve been a mother. A mother to my little furbabies. I’ve always celebrated Mother’s Day as a day where I can look at how I have taken care of or nurtured my animals. I call myself “mommy” and they are my “baby girl” and “little baby buddy man.” Now, I have a child as well. He requires a different nurturing; however, that does not make me less of a mother to my furbabies. Simply because I did not require a spinal numbing in order to bring them home does not make me less their “mommy.”

A “mother” is that woman who is willing to put her own needs or wants aside for someone else. She is someone who protects others. She is someone who puts the life and welfare of another before her own. A mother is that woman who, when you break up with your boyfriend at 2am,  is willing to listen to you cry, scream, swear, and moan for hours. She is the woman who, when you are ill, makes you jello. She is the woman who, even when she is dead tired from working all day, comes to your rescue regardless of what happened to you. She may be your friend, lover, or, in the case of a pet, owner. However, she is so much more than someone who cares for a small person.

“Mother” is not just a word that should be reserved for the female parents of children. It is a word that implies so much more. It is a word that encompasses all that which is true to womanhood. The emotions, the caring, the guidance. On this Mother’s Day, look for that woman in your life. Maybe buy her some flowers. Maybe buy her some chocolate. She may not be the woman who birthed you from her loins, but that does not make her less of a mother. To all the mothers out there – of children, furbabies, or just of friends – I wish you the happiest of Mother’s Days.