Mother’s Day is not just a day. It’s not a month, a year even!

Mothering and motherhood is lifetime long. It is a lifelong commitment to nurture, take care, care and continue caring for little humans transitioning into teen-hood and adulthood.

If you want to see the example of diversity and multitasking embodiment, see a mom! A mom wears more hats than Edward de Bono could specify. Still, when they join the workforce, they have to justify their experience, gaps in the resume and prove their skill set.

Momhood – The Unusual Dimensions

Do you realize that you don’t have to give birth in order to be a mom! It is about taking ownership, nurturing and showing care to the newbie, the weak and the vulnerable.

• You can be an aunt to your niece and nephews or a Godmother.
• You can be a hooman mom to your furbabies and feathery friends.
• You can even be a caregiver to your elderly parents and folks. (The role reversal is real folks and brings life full circle!)
• You can be a coworker even looking out for someone younger than you with maternal affection.
• You can even be a great single dad. I know a few single dads who are more of a mom to their kids than the moms.
• You can even be a mother to your erratic and somewhat childish partner!

Motherhood and It’s Glorification

Mothering is hard! It is overwhelming and scary and exhausting for many.

On top of that, moms are working alongside with raising families. They need to work, to make ends meet. They are the bread winners as well as bread bakers. This means navigating through deadlines, long hours at work, in commute, making meals, taking care of laundry, dish washing and housework mundanities, managing homework, extra curricular activities, health emergencies of the kids, crankiness, and clinginess and hyperactivity. Moms these days are working through weariness.

Moms Need Break; They Need Helping Hand!

The over-glorification of a mom’s role in response to her compliant about exhaustion and pain dehumanizes her as a human being. Please don’t do that!

A mother too needs a break, a helping hand. Unfortunately, much of what moms get is judgment and unsolicited advice. This is neither needed nor appreciated.

What every mom needs is a helping hand!

Celebrating motherhood doesn’t mean orchestrating something grand. My social media feed is full of brands advertising their motherhood deals, motherhood gifts, comprising brownies, flowers and mugs. I don’t know anyone in my circle who would feel happy with this gift! It’s materialistic.

The best motherhood gift can be giving the mom some alone time for herself, even half an hour. It can be taking care of the laundry or dishes some days, if not all.

I hope as a mom you have received this tender loving care from the people you are taking care of, from the people around you this year. If not, then….

It’s OK to verbalize your needs.

It’s OK to put yourself first, at times.

It’s OK to ask for help!

It’s OK to say no to what you can’t handle.

All of these are forms of self-care. Moms who feel guilty of taking care of themselves are just chugging down the road of burnout and resentment. Moms need self-care!