Mothers …
“We are born of love; Mother is our love”
Rumi
A regular visit to the beauty parlor gave me a topic for my blog. I watched a mother patiently stand by her daughter while she was getting her hair streaked. The girl was busy on her phone, and her mom never left her side, watching the process. Two hours later, she was still there, and surprisingly the teenage daughter was so preoccupied, that she made no conversation whatsoever with her mom. Another mom can only understand the indulgence of a mom.
This set me thinking about the selflessness of mothers. It took me back to my childhood and how my mother was constantly cooking dishes her children liked, waking us up early morning, preparing lunch boxes for her three school-going kids without a complaint.
My memory of my mom is that of a strong and resilient woman. She was always at home on our return from school to shower us with love and affection, which came so naturally to her. If we threw tantrums, she patiently dealt with us. I have no memories of her reacting angrily ever.
During her prolonged illness and stay in hospital in the last two months of her life, I constantly remember her concern for me. She would look forward to my visits, yet if I was busy and couldn’t go in on a particular day, she never complained. She dealt with her disease, pain, and illness with dignity, never putting pressure on her sons abroad to be by her side.
She was never demonstrative, yet what will remain etched in my memory is her concern for me while she was being taken into the ICU. She kept telling me not to worry and that the necessary procedure would be over soon, and I should not be scared. Despite her discomfort and fear, it was my anxiety and feelings that were of utmost importance to her. Selfless till the very end is how I cherish the memories of my mom.
I know of friends who call up their children studying in remote parts of the world to wake them up for their classes. Mothers will overextend, irrespective of the timing to do the needful, and the child has little remorse knowing that mom will happily take this as a privilege and not a chore.
Working mothers multitask all the time. They even risk reprimand and displeasure at their workplace to ensure the smooth functioning of their family. I know of many mothers who leave their office premises during their lunch break to pick up their children from school, skipping lunch so often. In their endeavor to let their husbands concentrate on their careers, they often lose out on promotions while their children are young.
However old you get, your mom will always treat you as a kid. She will indulge, scold, sacrifice, and never let go…the umbilical cord is never really cut much to the embarrassment of adult children who know that they can be ticked off despite their age, maturity, and success.
Today as a mother, I tend to overpower my daughter with love, affection, and demands. I also try to remotely manage her life, telling her how to arrange parties, events, and occasions. I know she does not need my advice and is very capable, yet she is indulgent and pretends to listen.
Being a mother is a full-time, lifelong job that a woman commits to unconditionally. Her thoughts are always with her children, and the emotional connection between mother and child is incomparable.
“ Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.”
