Mothers and motherhood
By Mildred V. Galarpe

"The good mother, the wise mother... is more important to the community than even the ablest man; her career is more worthy of honor and is more useful to the community than the career of any man, no matter how successful."

-- Theodore Roosevelt

When I was in grade 3 my teacher asked me to describe my mother, she smiled at my answer and said, "you are lucky. When you go home this afternoon give Mama a big hug." I did as told by my teacher and Mama asked what was that for and I told her my teacher asked me to.

One PTA meeting my teacher approached my mother and they talked for a while, I was beginning to suspect I am going to get a night of lecturing when we go home.

At dinner, my mother asked me how did I describe her. "I told the class that you are a housewife that your office is in the house and your work starts early and finishes late. You clean the house, do laundry, cook food and you nag if I don't drink my milk, eat my meals and do my homework."

She just smiled and I asked her why. She told me I would understand it when I will be a mother myself but I insisted for an explanation because motherhood was a long way to go yet. She explained it to me but I never understood it until I gave birth to my daughter 12 years ago.

Mom, mommy, mama, ma, mummy, moeder, mere, mutter, madre, mãe, nanay and inay are some of the familiar variations for the word "mother". Whatever you call her, the term denotes affection and maternal role in a child's life.

A mother is typically the biological or social female parent of a child or offspring. The maternal bond describes the feelings a mother has for her (or another's) child.

Mothers typically have a very important role in raising children, and the title "mother" can be given to a woman other than a biological parent who fills this role. This would either be an adoptive parent or a stepmother (the wife of a child's father). The term can also refer to a person with stereotypical traits of a mother.

Mothers look different from other women. She is unique. She is someone who fixes a lot of things in the house from sewing to plumbing.

My understanding of a mother is somebody bestowed with unconditional love, compassion, a forgiving heart, and a hand always ready to extend assistance.

Motherhood is the noblest career any woman can pursue and it goes beyond any eight-hour job. It demands a lot of time, energy, inspiration, initiative, love and understanding.

"Anyone can be a mother, but it takes someone special to be a Mum".

Raising children may be the most important job in the world, but you can't put it on a résumé. There is no job description that fits to it. Motherhood comes with no manual to guide mothers on raising children.

My mother had to give up her teaching career to become a full time mother to her seven children. I wanted to be a full time mother but I became a journalist long before motherhood came. So now, I have to juggle my time between family and career.

Motherhood is the greatest gift I have ever received. I am a better person today because I was blessed with three children who have widened my understanding of love, compassion, forgiveness and the mysteries of life. It is a gift and a privilege that I treasure. It's something that I know I am blessed enough to have in my life.

When I had my daughter 12 years ago, I wanted to understand what I was going to teach her. I read a lot of books about parenting but they never seemed to satisfy my hunger for information until a friend gave me the Bible. Now I understand that the Bible is my manual in raising my children up to be good Christians and good citizens.

I know I still have a lot of things to go through as a mother, but I am no longer scared when trials come because I know God will always be there to guide me through.

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)