When you think of “mother,” you think of a woman being pregnant, carrying the child, giving birth, and holding a baby in their arms. However, it’s not just a woman giving birth. There are various forms of mothers.
There are mothers that were pregnant, but only for a short time. They never got to meet their little one, never got to hold them in their arms. Even though the woman doesn’t have a baby with her physically, the bond remains. The love she had for her baby will last for life, just like any other mother. A miscarriage and stillborn are devastating. These women are still mothers.
There are mothers who adopt. Years ago, my mother unofficially adopted a young girl while she was in high school. She treated her like her own daughter. My mother never treated her differently from us. She always told the girl, “You may not have grown under my heart, but you grew in my heart.” My maternal grandmother even took in kids and cared for them until they were reunited with their parents. There are a few more instances where a member of our family took in a child that wasn’t biologically theirs, but raised them as if they were. And that’s how every child should be raised.
There are mothers who have lost their children years later. There’s a saying that there’s no term for a parent that’s lost a child. They gave birth, raised the child, bonded with the child, watched them grow, just for the world to take them.
There are foster mothers who open up their homes to children. They care for them and even raise them for years in many cases.
There are stepmothers that come into the picture at various stages of a child’s life, but their mothers nonetheless.
Some women even become mothers to their grandchildren, nieces, or nephews, etc.
And then there are pet mothers, who though haven’t experienced caring for another human, they’re caring for another living being. The bond and love are there, and in a lot of cases, they do consider pets like their own kids.
Motherhood is in no way black and white. There are various forms of motherhood, but it’s always the same; they nurture, protect, and love. Some mothers hold their children in their arms. Some hold them in memory. Some are still waiting for their moment.
All of them deserve to be seen. All of them deserve to be honored.
Happy Mother’s Day to All Mothers.
This was written by our contributing writer, Gigi Grindley.
Image Source: Unsplash, Earl Wilcox
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