Motherhood - Can I ever pen down its depths

 A mother's love is infinite and selfless. Each bond a mother has with their child is unique and cannot be copied. Even though every mother has their own way of parenting. On the occasion of Mother's Day I took on the task of sharing some experiences and learnings from some of the wonderful moms I have know. I had the honor to discuss with a very dear friend in the US (Vickie) and a close friend from college (Aparna).  Each of these lovely ladies have been an integral part of my life for over 3 decades.  

My inability to do justice to their infinite love and humility became apparent as soon as I began writing their thoughts.  Despite my limited abilities I have tried to share (hopefully at least a part) their message with sincerity.  For the sake of brevity I will try to use their expressions as far as possible.

What is Motherhood?

This is a favorite topic for all three mothers and they can go on endlessly.  They all want their children to be happy. It sounds so simple, yet its the hardest emotion to build.

Vickie is a one of the most gorgeous ladies I have met who is more gorgeous on the inside.  Her very first words touched my heart when I asked her thoughts on it "It is so important to understand their hearts and what it is they really need and what is going to make them happy.  Sometimes we want them to be happy the way WE want them to be happy.  My youngest quit the university three classes short of a degree in mechanical engineering.  I was not happy.  I thought he was making a big mistake.  He wanted to start his own company.  It is doing well now, but it has been a painful journey for him.  When I tried to push him to finish, it only created tension between us.  I finally gave up and decided to let him choose his own path.  He is growing tremendously and I am confident he will do well whatever he chooses.  

I hope all the mothers out there love their children in a way that they can grow and flourish.  It really is the best job in the world."

Aparna and her lovely daughters

Interesting Aparna who lives in India is equally passionate about her role as a mom. Here is what she has to share "As soon as I gave birth to my younger one, I was told that she was born with ASD (she had 2 holes in her heart) and then within a few days my elder one was diagnosed with Autism. The latter was a life-changing event for me. I quit my job. I decided to put my family as a priority and be a hands-on mom. I have never regretted my decision. It has helped me focus on raising my girls well and good human beings. This is something (especially taking care of my elder daughter) that could not have been outsource!! I think TIME is what the kids need from us especially when they are young. And by time, I do not mean the ‘length’ of time, but ‘quality’ of time. While it is true that working moms are able to give less time to their kids than stay-at-home moms, I have often seen working moms with their kids and found them to be more ‘engaged’ while they are with their kids than I am J."

The joy of motherhood is immense from each step her child takes. Aparna has beautifully shares "1.     We were looking to have a dog at home. But my younger daughter insisted that we adopt one, and not buy. Her argument was that in this way we would give a home to one dog at our place and a make a place available for another dog at the dog adoption shelter.

I also felt proud when my elder one started speaking. We had suspected her to be a non-verbal autistic child since she has not uttered word until she was 6 years old."

Thank you Vickie and Aparna!  Its always humbling and a learning to talk with you ladies about motherhood and kids.