Reflections of a Mother

I am a mother and proud to be one. Although I only have one child – an eight-year-old daughter who will be entering third grade come June this year – my heart is filled with gratitude to God for allowing me to experience this extremely noble calling called motherhood.

Yet, even though I’ve been a mother for several years now, there are still times that I look at my daughter with amazement and wonder. And my husband and I would sometimes say to each other, “oh we really have a child now – isn’t it wonderful?” Oftentimes, my husband would also tell me, “Mommy, you’ve got everything you wanted for a daughter in Zara, haven’t you?” And I’d say, “Yes, more than I could ever want for a child.”

And that is true - simply and absolutely true. I know that most mothers will say that of their children too. Even those who may have started as unwilling mothers are most likely to say those words of their babies as well.

That is because motherhood is something that makes a woman feel on top of the world just by watching her baby grow - the baby that’s wonderfully formed in her womb; and has made her experience the inexplicable joys of motherhood. I have experienced pregnancy only once, but I could not forget the sensation I felt whenever my baby moved inside me. And when the day of delivery finally came, I was so lucky to feel my baby’s passage into this world, and to hear her first cries before I eventually yielded to sleep and oblivion. When I woke up, I was all excited to see her and hold her in my arms. And when at last she was brought to my room, I simply could not take my eyes off her and I kept touching her tiny hands.

Having my daughter for the past eight years now has changed my life forever. My interests were etched along the lines of motherhood; my priorities were rearranged to put my role as a mother on top; and my goals were modified to make my daughter’s needs my primary concern.

After becoming a mother myself, I have also become more appreciative of my own mother who raised us all with unconditional love and divine wisdom. And I am sure that no matter how I try, I could never surpass, or even match my mother’s mothering skills. How she ever managed with seven of us, would always go beyond me.

But I guess, maternal skills, abilities and wisdom - although mostly gained through experience - are primarily rooted in a mother’s love and affection for her baby. And because of that love, a mother would often go – even beyond her capacity – to show her concern, devotion and affection for her child.

For me, a mother is born the day a woman realizes and accepts the baby growing inside her womb. But the mothering skills and wisdom are molded through experience. After all, motherhood is not a college degree one can get from school; and there are no qualifying tests either for a woman to take in order to become a mother.

Motherhood is a personal experience – a constant adventure through a cycling self-discovery journey. You may read every book on motherhood you can find, or listen to all the best mothers in the world for some pointers and how-to’s on mothering, but unless you actually become a mother, you can never ever fully grasp the real essence of motherhood, nor completely feel the joy it brings.

Still, the physical bond shared between a mother and her child may not be an absolute criterion for a woman to become a good mother. As we all know, there are mothers who, for some reason, are rendered incapable of performing their role as mothers. And there are those, whom God assigns to be mothers without giving them a child of their own.

Mothers are great people – but they’re far from perfect. And mothers who realize this fact about themselves are even on their way to becoming greater. Why? It is simply because they would have to strive harder to become the best mothers for their children. And because they have accepted the fact that they are not perfect, but can always improve, they are more empowered to accept and love their children all the more.

Surely motherhood is a blessed calling – a journey like no other; and a fully rewarding experience. It completes a woman and complements a child.