Dear Mothers,

First off, thank you for birthing us into life. Birthing is bloody painful so let that be acknowledged right from the start. It’s something we rarely talk about after the fact. If we did, maybe the population might not be so high. Choosing to bring children into the world is often such a romantic notion and yet it’s incredibly traumatic . . . your body is invaded, deformed and then ripped or cut apart in the birthing process. And there’s no drug on earth that can take away that pain. (At least not that I’m aware of).  If a mother is fortunate enough the process only takes a few hours but most of the time it’s several hours if not days before the baby is delivered. Birthing mothers are estrogen carrying warriors, giving up their bodies for the sake of new life. After childbirth, life is never the same again. “Mother”, while a beloved title, brings with it gargantuan responsibility and loss of freedom. Your eating, sleeping, bathing, going to the bathroom, shopping, working . . . is no longer your choice. Everything you do is determined by this dependent little baby and its needs. Even your breathing can be interrupted, when your child becomes sick and you’re living in terror until you know that what is wrong can be healed. Mothering requires holding and letting go, cherishing and correcting, teaching and allowing failure. You experience both anguish and delight as your child grows, knowing that with every growth spurt your child is becoming more independent and moving developmentally one step further away. Forbid that your child dies before you. What extraordinary strength you have to continue living with that grief. 

So dear mothers, whatever stage you are at in your mothering, I commend you. I have recently watched my own daughter discover motherhood and I think she’s a champion. In spite of all the challenges I don’t think I’ve seen her smile as much as I have in the past year. It reinforces for me that love is a pretty powerful gift that can help us all rise above our worst suffering. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Bless our Mothers,

Lee-Ann