The Impact of Self-Sacrifice on our Mothers

We often compare our Mothers with god. It’s a delightful thing to say, but sometimes the expectation may seem a little too much for the mothers if seen from their perspective. We do rely upon our mother’s with everything right or wrong every day, even though they are as much human as any of us are! We reside in a society where we believe in our social image most of the time and do everything to protect it. Not that it is undesirable, but sometimes it might take a toll on us in ways unexpected. The same is true for our Mothers. 

We have ignored the idea that a mother other than being a mother is an individual with her needs and desires. She is not the extension of her child, and instead beholds a lot of responsibility in upbringing her child; she sacrifices a lot, perhaps more than anyone. From the day she conceives till the end of her mortal life as a mother, she signs away willing her casual carefree days, fitness freakiness, sacrifices her career, dreams and careers, and her favourite food leisures personal space, everything. She prioritises her children always, while it doesn’t matter to her if her needs are met! Under societal pressure, mothers have accepted that as a normal aspect of life. But is it? The sacrifices she makes, don’t go in vain for sure, but does it benefit her? Not at all! Most mothers suffer from depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem, constant pressure to prove their worth and be a perfect mother, and loneliness! They never speak up because we the society has decided it for them! The irony is we do tell the tale of her struggles only on Mother’s Day, and bake cakes and bring chocolates for her, but the rest of the year, we keep expecting her to be the Goddess of Sacrifice! 

Becoming a mother is life-changing and the best of all emotions, but that doesn’t change the fact that a mother too needs personal space! She also needs space to clear her head, to rejuvenate. She needs romance, love and care too. She needs time with her beloved without her kids. She needs to be a complete being with a healthy mind and body to pass it on. An empty vessel cannot fill other bottles. The mental wellbeing of a mother is as important as anyone. She sacrifices herself bit by bit every day, along with it she also loses her mental stability, unless people around her step in to keep her going every day! With the support of the family members, this can be easily achieved. So as the family, as the society, we can take up the responsibility to take care of their personal space while taking over or sharing their responsibilities for a while. Surely we can do this much for our mothers, after all, they are our first love since birth.

Mothers can endure a lot, but even they need sanity, they need appreciation, they need to be free from the constant need to prove their worth as mothers! This Mother’s day, don’t just celebrate a day, but pledge to nurture the mothers, be their friend, let them heal, take care of their needs as a woman, as an individual! Let them eat their meals together with the family every day, let them take their time off from kids and daily chores and have fun outings, movie nights and ice cream parties with her set of friends, let her binge her favourite series on Netflix with a bucket of flavoured yoghurt! Let’s try and make our mothers a bit happier and cheerful while appreciating them for their efforts, resulting in the happy homes in which we reside! Mothers are the ones who make our houses a home, so let us pledge to take care of them, their tiny needs, empathize with them and shower more love and care. They are the spine of our lives, so let us encase them with the tenderness which they wrap us with.