Woman is the source of life
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Women – Source of Life
Tulip Chowdhury
4 March, 2017 12:00 AM
Tulip Chowdhury
My friend, Khalida tells me, “I became a mother three times over and can assure you that nine months of carrying my babies or having them all through vaginal deliveries was not easy. But after the third child I felt tempted to have one more kid. I just love babies. The initial thoughts had to be forgotten for the three I had, all closely spaced, already managed to make me look like a sleepless lunatic.”
I can see how she still loves small children and had chosen to become a teacher at a local day care. Khalida’s story resonates countless tales of motherhood. It is said that if mothers remembered the harrowing pains of labour, none would have a second baby. Labour pain of a mother is also called “Happy pain”. The mother forgets the indescribable pain that comes with a vaginal delivery. Deliveries under C-section are no less painful but nothing compared with the final pains that come before the baby comes out into the world. Many countries across the world allow the fathers to witness the whole process of a new life coming to the world so that they can understand the beauty and strength required of a woman to achieve her motherhood.
Motherhood is defined with difficulties and pleasure from the moment a woman conceives. The nine months of a full term pregnancy is different at every stage as the foetus develops inside the womb. To a woman it is like being re-born as the changes of the physical and mental hits with a pregnancy. We may term some of them as ‘easy pregnancies’ but that is like adding an easier hue to the pressure on the mother. Becoming a mother is no easy feat; not a single moment of it for she cries and laughs for her child till she ceases to be. A mother, though she may not be directly involved in the adult life of her son or daughter, feels happiness and pain all the same, for he or she is her own blood and flesh.
Through ages, the mother has been embodied as a symbol of inner strength and vitality. In the present time, more than ever, the role of a mother has crossed boundaries. She is not only the homemaker but also the bread winner of the family. The saying for generations goes as, “Mother dear / You are wonderful with everything you do / The happiness of family depends on you!”
Handed down through ancestors as the source of life, the Mother was not only the particular person who was the source of family life; she was also the visible embodiment of a cosmic mystery. The Mother represented life on all levels, on the biological and physiological levels and also on the psychological level. According to Aldous Huxley, “Mother was that oceanic Unconscious, out of which personal self-consciousness is crystallised and in which, so to speak, it bathes.” The Mother continues to be the source of physical life and the ‘Great Mother’ has been worshipped in many parts of the world. Among the ancient Greeks she was, in one of her numerous aspects, the snaky-haired Gorgons, whose glance has power to turn all living beings to stone. Kali, the Great Mother in India is sometimes beneficent and sometimes terrible.
A modern mother embodies the great force she was worshipped as the cosmic mystery and she continues to be the fountain of love. This amazing quality of fire and ice calls for celebrations for all mothers. They are the bread earners and they are the diaper changers. They are excellent cooks and they are heads of corporate bodies. They take kids to school and they fly around the world meeting heads of states. They are the dynamic CEOs and they are the soft and loving mothers. One wonders how the same person be playing these multiple roles. For the modern, working mother it is no easy task to take care of the home and run the office. She has to juggle between home and office in the day and the evenings at home are all about getting ready for the coming day. Although some men do lend a hand with child raising or household chores, the greater bulk remains for the women in male dominates societies.
The working mom often has to opt for quality time to handle the multitasking that is often required of her. The mothers of the modern days are the “do-it-all” women. Studies show that there are more and more working women who volunteer to shoulder the child rearing at home after they are back from their paid jobs. Experts point out that the love and tenderness of a biological mother cannot find an equal substitute. At times working mothers opt to stay at home till the baby is at least a year old. In this process they may be losing promotions or other job benefits. But they are ready to sacrifice the opportunities for taking care of the child. To them being the mother is more rewarding and the mother within them wins over materialistic wants. The family as the cornerstone of a society also takes the overall economy of a country and is depended on the productive participation of its total female workforce. Women constitute the backbones of the economic, social and political and sectors of the country.
These days when family break ups seem to be on the rise, it is indeed important to keep the marriage on its sanctimonious ground. The threatened family is often the worst nightmare for a child. A mother puts in her utmost to give her child a happy home being well aware that children from a peaceful family is more like to give his or her best to life. However, single mothers are doing their utmost in putting children’s life before all when it comes to taking care of their children.
Out there are some women who are unable to shoulder the load of the hectic competitive life. Stress takes its toll and they may break at one point. Since life must go on it is advisable for these women to take professional help. Friends and relatives also can help out with their love and care. And there are times when vacations are absolutely necessary and the need to let go and ‘love thyself’ has to come in. The mother is still a mystery where her inner strength and love are concerned. We cannot set the mother on a scale as to what measures she can go for the welfare of her family, but we can follow her love and patience.
While we celebrate International Women’s Day once a year, each day should have a reserved space of respect to be sent to our mothers. Just let your mother know that you think of her and miss her even if you cannot be with her. She will understand and feel loved, that is all she wants from the child she carried in her womb. Don’t forget your first home and food that came through her umbilical chord; be grateful to the source of life that brought you to the world. It is not too much to ask for.
Tulip Chowdhury writes from Massachusetts, USA
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