Vikali Shikhu
Unity Village, Dimapur
I whole heartedly agree with Abraham Lincoln when he said "all that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother”. This is one beautiful statement every mother would be proud of. My mother is my pride and I thank God for blessing me with a Godly mother. She is truly an asset to her children and an inspiration to everyone around her. I have no basic experience in motherhood, yet my mother is the reason for my strength and source through which I proudly pen this article on mothers.
A mother is a giver of life and therefore biologically, socially and morally entrusted with several responsibilities. The world expects her to be the custodian of all round development of a child. Should there be a faulty behaviour in children, the blame lands on the mother’s shoulder. A mother with a genuine personality always disciplines her children and put them into a habit of saying ‘SORRY’ and ‘THANK YOU’. "Having kids—the responsibility of rearing good, kind, ethical, responsible human beings—is the biggest job anyone can embark on” said Maria Shriver.
When we view motherhood through economic window, raising children is one of the family's investments. Our homes are all about the limited resources to meet multiple and sometimes competing demands amongst the children. Moreover, there is no household in the world that doesn't need monthly necessities. Mothers with a good managing skill do wonders ending up with magical results in financial management. They also compromise their physical comforts and work round the clock. Valerie Young in her article "What’s A Mother's Worth?" mentioned "Every mother saves her family, thousands of dollars by performing services in unpaid domestic labor for free"
All mothers are educators irrespective of being literate or illiterate. Let it be learning new words or learning by doing, anything to do with learning something new is education. My mom is a retired Teacher and I remember the way she checked our school work and homework every evening during my primary schooling. I grew up watching her tolerance and patience as she held the hands of my younger ones to be able to write better during pre-primary schooling. She delivered equal justice to her students in school and students at home (we her children). Where there is a mother's prayer, things deemed impossible becomes possible, we are able to conquer the highest mountains and assured God's protection and safety from all the dangers posed by this world. This is my personal life experience from being blessed with a dedicated, prayerful and faith abiding mother. My mother is a priceless gift and a wonderful asset of all assets.
Modern homes have many working mothers with a skill to balance between family and profession. We salute all the working moms and appreciate the way they organise things and live a strong social life too. We also have many social workers who are contributing to society much more than the husbands. "An educated woman with ambition is able to give intellectual companionship to her husband, help in making decisions about finances and education for the children, self-reliant, independent, and even contributes to the family's income," says Dr Snehal Shah. According to the survey conducted by TimesJobs.com, "over 60% of the surveyed organisations believe that working mothers are an important asset to them".
You may be a mother or a step-mother but Mother's Day is your day. Who doesn't want to have biological mother to love and to be loved? It breaks our heart to see video clips of inhuman acts and ill treatment meted out by some step-moms. The significance of Mother's Day may not hit you hard if you do not have the heart of a mother to those children. Talk to yourself as to why God has placed them in your hand. You are NOT AN ASSET to them if they do not get unconditional love and care from you. There is a belief that a silent prayer of an orphan travels to God which is more powerful than anything we could ever think of. I believe step-moms would have manifold blessings if step-children find solace in them.
There are definitely some ungrateful kids in the society. When your biological mother abandoned you for whatever reason, you definitely had the tag of 'unwanted child' the day you were born. That was the moment your parents welcomed you with open arms and immense love and held you so close to their hearts. Remember the years of your childhood and your mother's motherhood, the pain she had undergone to make you her own. She didn't care about your DNA because you are connected to her through heart and soul. God knows that she is your asset. To me, if someone asks me the definition of a mother, I would say a mother is the one who raised you up. Robert A. Heinlein said "Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”
When we observe some families around us, there is a dearth of moral values and ethics. A mother is definitely a mirror and her worth is reflected through the family's living condition. It is true that there are signs of a mother doing a great job. A mother is the pillar behind every child's success. Fortunate is a child whose mother is a channel of blessing, this is one classic example of an enviable asset because not all mothers carry the same weight or qualities.
So also, there are enough signs that someone is a resourceful wife. I personally appreciate all self-made women, some of them I know are living with beautiful testimony. They were ambitious and already successful prior to meeting their husbands. Together, they make a great couple excelling in their endeavours today. I always believe a strong woman would make her husband great and successful in life. There is one online quote I really like that says "God and a good wife are two best things a man could have in life".
Multi-tasking the role as a home maker, wife, mother, teacher, mentor, nurse, chef, planner, builder, comforter, provider, counsellor, guide, bread winner, social worker, best friend and even that of a servant, a mother is one superstar who is to be bestowed with the highest respect and a lifetime of honour. Yet it is so painful to see some unfortunate wives not being considered as an asset by their husbands. Despite selfless efforts and sacrifices as his wife and a mother to his children, wives are sometimes rewarded with a recipe of disaster when there are three people in a marriage. Those evil women who have no respect for another woman and shamelessly raid marital homes should remember that MARRIAGE BED IS A SACRED ALTAR. On this auspicious occasion, I take this privilege to convey to all married men that one wife is an asset, but two is a liability. Your legally wedded wife deserves 'undisputed respect' for the reason that she is an important asset to you, your children, family and society.
“A Mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place No One else can take”.
Happy Mother's Day 2017 to all mothers including moms in heaven.
