Are there different types of mothers? Which type of mother are you?
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Miss Universe question, “What is the essence of a woman?” And the winning answer is always, “The essence of a woman is motherhood”.
But what does it mean? What does it mean to be a mother? What is the essence of a mother’s love?
Do you catch yourself asking, “Am I a good mother?” Or “Am I doing motherhood right?”
Let’s discuss this topic today.
The Different Types of Mothers
The First-time moms
First-time moms are usually the most nervous of all mothers. They don’t know what to do, they are grappling with what needs to be done and how they can be the “perfect mom”.
For sure, they want the best for their children but they don’t know how to do it yet. And they don’t know that being a mom is something innate and instinctive. They haven’t found out that yet.
But they should understand that wanting the best for their children is already a good start. And that motherhood is actually something that has been engraved inside each woman ever since humanity began.
The Stay-at-Home moms
The stay-at-home moms are the most haggard of them all.
Long before feminism and women working has become a thing, there were a lot of stay-at-home moms. And people think that being a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) is the luckiest job there is to be.
Oh, but what most people imagined is far from the real lives of SAHM.
Here’s what people think:
SAHM just takes care of the baby. The only thing they do is bathe, feed, and let the baby sleep, and they are free to do anything the whole day.
Yeah, this is true, if your baby is a doll.
But here’s the reality for SAHM moms.
Is this true? Am I exaggerating? Ask any SAHM you know, I’m sure they’ll agree.
The Working Moms
These are the moms who had to leave their kids at home, at the grace of a babysitter, to help make ends meet. And still, they are judged for not being there for their kids. (Don’t you know it hurts them, too?)
Are they less of a mother for not being there to take care of their kids? Of course not. They have to do what they had to do.
Their kids need diapers, food, good education, a safe place to live in, and clothes to wear.
And if this is the only way that they can provide these for their kids, then they have to do it. Even if it means not being there always with their kids.
And trust me, they already feel guilty about it even without people judging them and telling them off.
Of course, they would want to be there for their kids. They want to be there when their kids are sick or performing in a play. In every parent’s meeting or just dancing in the rain with the kids. Yes, they would want to – but they can’t.
Some of these moms are single moms who can’t lean on anyone else to provide for in the family. And some of them need to work to secure a better future for the kids.
The Work-at-home Moms
With this pandemic suddenly happening, a lot of moms suddenly found themselves in an odd situation, where they have become work-at-home moms.
And although we can say it has become the common ground, the best of both worlds, the perfect cup of tea (or coffee, if you’re a coffee lover) for mothers, it comes with its own challenges.
These moms are now struggling with setting boundaries between work and motherhood.
Unlike when they are in the office, they can focus on just working, when they are at home, the kids can come in anytime they want. This is especially true now that the kids are not back to school yet.
This affects the ability of the mom to concentrate and focus on work or taking care of the kids. And this is a whole new level of chaos.
Does this make them terrible mothers or terrible workers? I don’t think so.
Trust me, they are trying to do their best for both their family and their company.
The Perfect Mother
The Essence of Being a Mother
Mother’s love.
And the essence of a mother’s love is always very evident on the level of sacrifice they can do for their children.
Only mothers can do this:
You see, the essence of a mother’s love is that encompassing kindness, unconditional and sacrificial love, and the willingness to lay down their lives for their children.
There are no perfect mothers – we all learn as we go. But that essence of motherhood is inside all of us, women, and it gets activated from the very first time we heard, felt, and saw that little being inside us.
Proverbs 31: 31 – Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.