The meaning of Mothering

What does it take to be a Mother ?

Being a Mother is a hard but extremely rewarding job. From the moment we find out we are pregnant we have self doubt that we are capable of raising another human being. We worry if we are to young, to old, strong enough, sympathetic enough, patient enough .. and just good enough.

But just what is Mothering made of ?

 

M..

Moments-  There are lots of special moments, when our children are born, first steps, first words.

These moments are the ones we capture that we will look back on with a goofy smile on our face. Especially as we watch our children grown up on us. They are filled with pride and happiness.

O..

Optimism- When we first become a mother we sometimes stumble almost like Bambi taking his first steps. With a bit of time we soon find our feet and before long we will be cantering along.

 

T..

Teacher- As our child grows we become a teacher, we teach words, patience, love, safety and just about everything that our little ones need. We are also taught, every day. We learn that the blanket den is actually a bush in a jungle used to hide from the ferocious lion outside, that the sofa arm is a plank that we are forced walk by pirates and the bath water is an ocean with squirting octopus, boats and giant monster ducks.

H..

Healer-  When our children are ill, we are their healer, whether it's a scratched finger that needs magic kisses, a stomach ache that needs a hot water bottle and cuddles, a temperature that needs some medicine or a shoulder to cry on and a friendly face when our children are upset. Seeing our children unhappy kicks in our maternal instincts to make everything all better. Even when we can't we will always try.

E..

Experience- You've been there, done it and got the t-shirt to prove it. Children need our experiences just as much as we do. Especially when it comes to relationships, friendships and sex. There comes a point (and thankfully I'm not there yet) when we have to share the good and bad in our past. Not all of it of course but we can try and stop our children from making our mistakes. Even though we aren't always successful and they will learn for themselves and gain their own experience.

R..

Reliable- Yes, we are the ones our children rely on, whether it's too feed them, clean them, cheer them up or even just to listen to them. This is one of our main jobs. If our children can't confidently rely on us, then who can they rely on ?

I..

Inspiration- We have to inspire our children, inspire them to chase dreams, learn new things, open their mind if it becomes closed. Most of all we have to inspire them to be themselves.

 

 

N..

Never giving up- We are the ones who never give up on our children, even when they give up on themselves. We are the ones cheering them from the side lines, picking them up when they fall, finding the positives in bad situations and forgiving them for their mistakes, even if we feel like it at times, we NEVER give up.

G..

Guidance- We are here to guide our children through life, no matter what our hopes and dreams are for our child our job is to walk along side them holding their hand, supporting their decisions. Sometimes it can be hard, especially when you don't agree with them but you just have to close your mouth open you heart and be there.

 Either way, don't panic ... Mothering is a natural instinct, it will come with time, patience and experience. Sometimes we don't give ourselves enough credit for everything we do. xx