"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother never, never. A mother is something absolutely new."--Rajneesh
Today is Mother's Day. Mother's Day has not always been a favorite with me. It conjured up all sorts of conflicting feelings, guilt being right there at the top. I defy you to name a mother who has not felt guilty, at least at some point in her mothering career. Along with guilt there are love and awe and an unending supply of exhausted days and sleepless nights..
So, no, I haven't always celebrated Mother's Day. Now, that I'm on the other side of the mothering equation, I can look back and smile at the young mother I used to be. That mother was busy full time, worried over a myriad of foolish things. I vowed to be perfect in everything and ended up being perfect in nothing. Still, despite my imperfections, the children and I made it through.
Grandmothering is a whole different story. With it, I don't worry over perfection; I simply rejoice. I wish I had had that wisdom thirty years or so ago.
This I know for sure: mothering isn't for wimps.
Yes, guilt has sometimes reared its ugly head as I go through this life. And your last sentence made me laugh out loud. There are no wimpy mothers, that's for sure.
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