My Tribute to Motherhood

(This was submitted to a newspaper but never saw print)

Update: I just realized this was actually published on May 12, 2012 in SunStar Daily.

What does motherhood mean to me?

Before I got my own share of this “lifetime commitment”, I would’ve answered this question with a wide range of complaints as to why my own mother was very protective, always nagged about budgeting and house expenses, never allowed me to go out with friends, and how things were different during their time.

Now that I have a more personal perspective about motherhood, things took quite a turn for me.

If there is ever a great lesson that motherhood brought into my life, it is the value of selflessness. Although children rarely see it as it is but really mothers would forgo a lot of things just so they could provide for their children.

It is normal for mothers not to dwell on the price tag of milk, diapers, infant’s wear, and all other sorts of nursery stuff and then cringe at the prices they see on women’s wear or facial creams and lipstick. I know this for a fact because I would buy a pair of little shirt and shorts for 150 pesos in any Department Store but then scowl the nearest Ukay2x stalls for 50 peso blouses or jump with glee at 3 for 100 sale of garments meant for me. In a span of less than a month, my little boy had more new clothes than I ever had in a period of three months. (well, come to think of it, maybe even 6 months!)

But it is not out of pain that I say this because it is not painful at all. Because the greatest payment in the world a mother can receive is something as little as an innocent smile directed at them. All the hustle and bustle of the world comes to a halt when that single being flashes the most wonderful set of gums (or teeth if they’re older) – you just fall in love all over again! (sigh)

My little boy is particularly fond of looking into my eyes when I play with him or put him to sleep and those moments are just priceless. You just want to cuddle all day and all night, which leads me to many sleepless days and nights and since I work in a Call Center, sleepless days are definitely tough. He is also one of those noisy ones that even when I am in bed ready to sleep, all the raucous from him makes me laugh and want to come out of bed to play again.

Although I am not one of those with vanity issues; when I was single, I always made it a point to look presentable. My jeans and shirts were always well-ironed; my hair always looked nice even with minimal work and everything looked squeaky clean. Now though, it is a luxury for me to iron my clothes (except work clothes of course which is a necessity), I only get to comb my hair once a day and can’t ever let down my hair because 2 devastating things happen, either it ends up all over my face or it ends up in the eager hands of my little boy – with the latter being more brutal. (I swear little kids have greater destructive force in their hands than they look!) The only consolation I get though is that whenever I am with my baby, people don’t notice me as much so thank goodness!!

With motherhood comes the total wreck of house rules and time management too. I am a recently self-admitted control freak and now there is a little person controlling everything else not me. Even my bathroom breaks are controlled by this little giant, who is just barely learning to crawl! It is ironic for such a little person with so little capabilities, as of yet, to be able to control so much in a household. Everyone else has to be awake when he is up (no matter how early or how late) and yet everyone still had to be awake even when he slept tidying up after him. They are crying, crawling, drooling, peeing, and pooing loud alarm clocks!

 And yes, we eagerly wait for them for at least nine months and welcome them into our homes with arms wide open!

If working under a budget is hard enough as it is, imagine working with it when the bigger chunk has to go to formula, diapers, baby clothes, baby powder, baby soap, etc. Everything else has to take a lower priority yet everything has to be prioritized still. This is where the mothers end up eating only the leftover pizza or the very small portions, to be able to provide for everyone else. And they do this without regret and unconditionally.

These and so much more is what motherhood means to me. Yet I have only one kid. Imagine those with more. They must be SUPERMOMS!

I salute all mothers out there. For those who are on their way, congrats and good luck. For those who already are, kudos to you for a job well done! And for those who are considering it, I say, there is no better experience than to be mom. And for the children; love your moms; there is no one like them in your lives.

Happy Mother’s Day to all.

05/11/12 by nmed