Unmatched - H
I used to wonder why Mother's Day is such a big deal when Father's Day isn't. After all, fathers are just as important when raising children as mothers are, aren't they?...but maybe in a more intangible way. Where mothers are responsible for most of the physical care-taking of their children, fathers...well, I can't quite put my finger on it. I think their presence (or absence) and their conduct sets the tone in the family, and that in turn has an effect on the family structure and the children...something like that.
Anyway, being a mother now, I understand why Mother's Day is more celebrated. A woman's role in a family is quite visible and tangible, and women juggle a lot especially if they also work outside the home. It's an exhausting line of work that comes with quite a bit of sacrifice. Reflecting on my own experience, I would say that donating my body to my little one is one of the greatest sacrifices I've had to make. For the last 18 months, my body has not been my own, from the moment of conception until now, and for another few months until she is weaned, she has owned my body, drawing from it her sustenance while quite literally and figuratively draining me. Operating on her time is another. No longer do I have uninterrupted blocks of time to myself, rather they are short and irregular spurts of time where if I have the energy and presence of mind to accomplish something like making lunch, maybe dinner, I will. After having a baby, solitude is scarce and coveted (at least I covet it). Gone are my long dates with my journal where I would process my thoughts over a caramel macchiato or hit the pavement with my running shoes, ruminating on thoughts in mind. These days I hardly have the time nor the desire. I doubt I would have the energy to think a thought to write. In fact, I know I wouldn't.
While I can't imagine living without my baby and the many smiles and all the laughter she brings, thinking about the-life-that-was sometimes gets me misty-eyed. It seems that once you have a baby, dreaming and fantasizing about the future and all the things you could and want to do have to be put on hold at least for a little while. It's for good reason, though not without lament. It's quite a lot to actually always consider someone else before yourself b/c with a child you have no other choice. It's a lesson in sacrificial love, and I dare say there's a brand that stems uniquely from a mother, unmatched.
From my point of view, Mother's Day is a celebration of womanhood and all that women experience, perhaps endure, in order to have children and raise a family...and particularly in the fiercely independent society in which we live. In many cases we do it alone maybe with a beloved spouse but without a village. The experience, while extraordinary, comes with quite a bit of sacrifice for a woman which is also unmatched by that of men.
Anyway, being a mother now, I understand why Mother's Day is more celebrated. A woman's role in a family is quite visible and tangible, and women juggle a lot especially if they also work outside the home. It's an exhausting line of work that comes with quite a bit of sacrifice. Reflecting on my own experience, I would say that donating my body to my little one is one of the greatest sacrifices I've had to make. For the last 18 months, my body has not been my own, from the moment of conception until now, and for another few months until she is weaned, she has owned my body, drawing from it her sustenance while quite literally and figuratively draining me. Operating on her time is another. No longer do I have uninterrupted blocks of time to myself, rather they are short and irregular spurts of time where if I have the energy and presence of mind to accomplish something like making lunch, maybe dinner, I will. After having a baby, solitude is scarce and coveted (at least I covet it). Gone are my long dates with my journal where I would process my thoughts over a caramel macchiato or hit the pavement with my running shoes, ruminating on thoughts in mind. These days I hardly have the time nor the desire. I doubt I would have the energy to think a thought to write. In fact, I know I wouldn't.
While I can't imagine living without my baby and the many smiles and all the laughter she brings, thinking about the-life-that-was sometimes gets me misty-eyed. It seems that once you have a baby, dreaming and fantasizing about the future and all the things you could and want to do have to be put on hold at least for a little while. It's for good reason, though not without lament. It's quite a lot to actually always consider someone else before yourself b/c with a child you have no other choice. It's a lesson in sacrificial love, and I dare say there's a brand that stems uniquely from a mother, unmatched.
From my point of view, Mother's Day is a celebration of womanhood and all that women experience, perhaps endure, in order to have children and raise a family...and particularly in the fiercely independent society in which we live. In many cases we do it alone maybe with a beloved spouse but without a village. The experience, while extraordinary, comes with quite a bit of sacrifice for a woman which is also unmatched by that of men.
posted by haed at 9:36 PM
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