Mother - An angel He created!

The first time I wrote an essay on ‘Mother’, was when I was in school. Scouting for ideas, when I went to ask Dad to tell me something that I could use in my write-up, he said something that I have never forgotten till date. He said “After God made the world, he wanted to be around to see that all that he had created, was running smoothly. But then, he couldn’t be personally present with everyone at the same time…..so then he created a ‘Mother’ for every home. That way, he knew his creation was in good hands” 

As a child, I believed him; and lived all my life with the angel that God had created for me, in my very own home. The angel who was up before the first rays of the sun and….well, I have no idea when she slept! My angel stayed with me through thick and thin. She saw to it that I always had everything I ever wanted…. My angel stood up for me when I was weak and she nursed me back to health when I was sick. Yes, I believed my Dad when he said that God made Mother just because he couldn’t be with everyone all the time!

But you know what, as I grew up, I also saw the impracticality of this statement. I spent a lot of time away from home. I spent a lot of time away from Mom. There was a time when I spent practically entire days by myself, only to come home late at night and crash. Yes, mom was always there, up before me….and waiting for me when I came home at night. But then, she wasn’t with me through the day. And then Dad’s statement started confusing me….

I was still confused when I went through my wedding, complete with the requisite crying on my Mom’s shoulder. While I missed her all the time in my newly married life, I knew she was happy for me. I also told myself that even though I was leaving my Mom behind, I was also getting a new Mom, my Mother-in-law. I went through the whole honeymoon phase happily and settled down in my routine beautifully. I didn’t even think anything was amiss when I shifted to another city, far away from Mom….after all, she was only a phone call away…

And then one fine day, after I had been away from my angel for a good four years’ time, I called her to be with me again. I was about to become a mother, see…..and I needed my angel with me to help me through this new phase of my life. Again, the never failing angel took over. She was there, all the time, no matter when I needed her. When my baby was born, I was ecstatic! I was so happy, I forgot the most excruciating pain I had ever endured so far! My Dad was overjoyed. My husband was thrilled! Everyone was celebrating; and there she was, my angel, asking me “How are you doing? Are you in pain? Do you need anything? Get some rest while we take care of the baby…..”

For a minor complication, my baby had to spend a few days in the NICU. They told me I could go home. They said I could visit my baby whenever I wanted, if I didn’t wish to stay in the hospital beyond the requisite period. I was devastated! My husband and I never even considered leaving the hospital till we had our baby in our hands. It was a tricky situation for everyone. But the one person standing by my side through it all, saying that I must keep faith, that everything will be alright, and soon….was my angel! I believed then…. more than ever….that Dad’s statement was right. My angel proved it! It was like God was speaking through her…..our baby came to us soon after, and then we all came home happier than ever!

As days went by, and I started raising my child, I realised, being a mother is not an easy job. Definitely no! It’s a 24x7 engagement that takes everything out of you….and then some! It also makes you want to be the best person you can be, because you know a tiny pair of eyes is watching. Being a mother makes you do things you never thought you would ever do - from waking up in the wee hours of the morning, to feed your baby, to detecting just from the smell of the diaper if your baby is in good health. It makes you responsible - from looking for the use-by dates on anything that you buy, to sneaking healthy vegetables in his meals while your child isn’t looking. It makes you ask more of yourself, a lot more; so that you set a great example in front of your little one…..

As a Mom, you want the best for your child, always. No matter whether your child is good at sports or is a wiz at academics…whether your child loves to paint or to sing or is a drama queen! No matter what your child chooses to do, you want the best for them. And in the process, you try to raise them in the best possible way. You try to give them the individuality, the independence, the competence, the training and most importantly, the confidence that they will take with them wherever they go as grown- ups. That, I think, is the best and the hardest part of being a mother. To give your children the confidence that no matter what life throws at them, they can handle it……. that you are always there for them, NO MATTER WHAT!

Come to think of it, it is probably this, that my Dad meant when he told me the reason for God creating Mother…He made her because He couldn’t be with everyone all the time…..And so, our Mom lives in each one of us…through her teachings, her little anecdotes, her thoughts, her ideas, her countless little mannerisms and whims ……In fact, as a young mother, there have been countless occasions when I have tried to remember or asked what my Mom would’ve done the given situation…and then I try and think if I can do the same……

They say every daughter is her Dad’s little princess. That is true. But only when the princess becomes a mother herself does she realise the worth and the value of her angel…her own Mother! It is only then that she can understand the unfathomable love, affection, the endless worry and the unflinching support that a Mother showers on her children from the day they are born….

No words are enough to convey the depth of one’s feelings for their mother. Nothing anyone can say or do can be enough to thank their Mother, ever! She is the epitome of love and affection. She is a Mother since the day her children are born. For her, the joy of motherhood is a lifelong joy....and it is her right and privilege! 

Today, when I tell my child what my Dad told me, I get a wide-eyed stare and something like – ”Really? God made you just so you could be with me all the time? But that is not true!…..You aren’t there when I am in school…or at practice…or at play. You don’t even sleep in my room....!” 

I smile and move on…maybe someday my child too will understand; and become a true believer…..Yes, there are no guarantees, but I can sure hope that one day my child too, thinks of me as fondly as I think of my Mom today……