When we try to articulate a mother’s love, we describe it with adjectives like ‘unwavering’ and ‘unconditional’. Indeed, her words, actions, thoughts and emotions encapsulate the beautiful nature of her love, displayed throughout various stages of her children’s life. As Mother’s Day approaches, let us reflect upon and celebrate the wonders of a mother’s love. If you are a mother, you might identify with the experiences portrayed here. And if you are a father, it might give you an insight into your wife’s deepest thoughts and emotions.
The joy of a new beginning
A mother’s love is birthed at the very beginning – first in hesitant anticipation of that second line to show up, then in her radiant joy upon discovering that she is nurturing a life within her. From deliberately forgoing her beloved coffee and favourite raw foods for her baby’s sake, to ensuring she eats something in spite of her all-day sickness and how she talks and sings to her foetus, that joy wells up from inside her.
A mother’s love is felt in the way she cradles her newborn, gazing lovingly into those beautiful eyes. It is expressed when she wakes up at all times of the night to attend to her baby’s every cry, jumping right out of bed when the wails rouse her. In those days, hazy from a lack of sleep, a mother continues to endure that tiredness for love of her child.
Caring through the growing years
A mother’s love bubbles over in her beaming smile when her toddler takes that first step, says their first word, or reads a book independently. Her phone, teeming with many photos of these milestones, is ready to be brandished to family and friends. It shows in how she patiently answers her child’s unending questions and reads their favourite bedtime story over and over.
A mother’s love is evident in how she fusses over their craft-time creations, calling them works of art even when they seem like mere scribbles; she is filled with glee when she receives Mother’s Day art pieces, treasuring every one of them and filing them safely. She conveys her feelings in wordless acts of love when she toils over the stove to ensure her children will have warm, home-cooked meals, or finds ways and means to get the best food for her child.
A mother’s love is expressed as she watches from the school gate and marvels at the bittersweet moment on the first day of school, resisting the urge to run over when her baby, now all grown up, cries. She silently reminds her preschooler to be brave, recalling moments where they shared a cuddle amid fear and anxiety; her heart, broken and hurting, as she has to comfort and wipe their tears from crying after a fall, or after being teased by their friends.
A mother’s love, sometimes mixed in with guilt, is portrayed in ways she feels will be best for the child – more toys, more enrichment, more holidays. Whether it will ultimately be truly good remains to be seen, but it helps relieve some of that lousy feeling which makes her think she is not enough for her child.
A lifetime of love
Many children may not comprehend it, but a mother’s love lies at the core of her nagging – to clean their room or to finish their homework, because she wants them to learn the right things to do. Ultimately, it is illustrated in how she makes sacrifice after sacrifice.
As her little ones grow into teenagers, there will be a whole new set of experiences, struggles and concerns. And she will continue to be their constant pillar of support, biggest cheerleader, and greatest comforter. Indeed, a mother’s love never ends.
© 2017 Focus on the Family Singapore. All rights reserved.
Article contributed by Adelene Chan, Focus on the Family Singapore.
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