No disrespect to the fathers, but mothers do a heck of a lot more. We are assigned to some duties by default, like breastfeeding, nurturing, counseling, and of course, carrying the load. Other duties and responsibilities include cooking, cleaning, potty training, grooming, helping kids with homework and school projects, attending school programs and meetings, attending medical appointments, making sure their temperatures stay normal, trying to understand their behavior, managing the file system, and etc. In short, we are caregivers, babysitters, social workers, doctors, cooks, housekeepers, bookkeepers, teachers, artists, stylists and etc. We wear so many hats that there’s no way that I can possibly name them all. We think about our kids when they are with us and even when they are not. We even hear the voice or cry of a child in their absence. I know it sounds a bit scary, but it’s true. I had to ask another mother if she had experienced the same thing, so I wouldn’t think I was going crazy. I’m not saying that a father’s role is easy, but if you place the two on a pendulum, a mother’s role would outweigh that of a father’s any day.
When speaking about mothers, there is no one type. There are single mothers, married mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, mothers who have children with special needs, and women who act as mothers. Single mothers are usually single either by choice, abandonment, incarceration, or death. Nevertheless, the pain each one feels is different. A single mother by choice or abandonment might be battling a broken heart from a failed relationship. But she can never use that as an excuse to stop taking care of her kids. Whether or not she receives support from the father does not make her job much easier. A mother who is single by incarceration might be battling a broken heart and legal issues. A widowed mother has to battle a broken heart from a loss, loneliness, and legal matters, if she has to bear the financial burden, too. Regardless of how any of the aforementioned became single, her job is much harder if she has to pick up all the financial responsibilities.
Stepmothers, I like how you treat your stepchild or children as your own. Grandmothers, I honor you for taking care of your grandchildren, after being done with raising your own.
Women taking care of kids with special needs, we love you. You too have a special need to be acknowledged because you are God’s chosen ones. Women acting as mothers, the world couldn’t do without you because you picked up a responsibility that you did not create.
To all mothers and mothers to be: I love and honor you for fulfilling God’s assignment, keeping your commitments, and owning up to your duties and responsibilities. As long as you are a mother to someone, your job will never be done. With that being said, you don’t stop parenting once they turn 18. Without you or some model figure, they’ll never grow to their full potential.
If I left out any fabulous group of mothers, I sincerely apologize. Feel free to add in comments.
And remember…
“Make sense of what you do, and make every cent count.”
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