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When You Call Me “Mama”
For women without children, the term of endearment hits different
The phone date had been on my calendar for weeks, and the morning my friend and I were planning to chat, she sent me a text.
“Hey Mama,” her message said. The words smacked against my consciousness like a brick wall, solid and unforgiving. “I’ll be a few minutes late, just wanted you to know.”
When she called me a little bit later, I didn’t know how to raise the subject, so I never mentioned it. But I kept thinking about it nonetheless. Just because I’m of a certain age, and look a certain way, does not mean I’m a mother.
What does the word “Mama” mean, anyway?
So many people put the term in their Instagram bios. Being a mother is a linchpin of their identities. But it isn’t aspirational for everyone. Some people have to go to great lengths to become parents, while others fall into it with ease, or even accidentally.
So many people put the term in their Instagram bios. Being a mother is a linchpin of their identities. But it isn’t aspirational for everyone.
We make mistakes, though, when we fail to realize that not everyone has the same desires we…
