Today marks a day that celebrates the givers of life by honouring mothers and celebrating motherhood and the influence that mothers have in the society as a whole.
Although the celebration of Mother’s Day differs in various parts of the world, with some being in March, April and May, the common goal remains the same and that’s what matters the most.
The role that mothers play is a very crucial role in the development of children, raising them to be responsible and well mannered individuals. Not to take anything away from fathers but mothers have always been pillars of strength in terms of raising kids and the Setswana saying “ Mmangwana o tshwara thipa ka ha bogaleng”, loosely translating to ‘The mother holds a sword by the blade’ says it all. Mothers always go an extra mile in ensuring that their kids are well protected. They just have a nurturing nature about them.
In honour of Mother’s Day, I had a chance to talk to two mothers.
One is a new mom to a boy and the other a mom with two girls who are already in school.
A single mother of two girls, Chandapiwa Baputaki reminisced on the first time she brought a life into this world. She says that words are simply not enough to describe how she felt because she had her first born when she was 20 years.
Baputaki describes the birth of her first daughter as a ‘wow’ moment because she was quite overwhelmed that she had managed to bring a human being into earthly life.
She states that motherhood has its ups and downs. The biggest lesson she says she has learnt thus far about being a mother is that when you become a mother you stop thinking about yourself alone and whatever you do you always have to consider that there are people out there who entirely depend on you for their survival.
Baputaki says that even dating becomes hard for obvious reasons. She adds that raising kids comes naturally to her because she is the one who has been taking care of her siblings who are now young adults and have turned out well, so raising her daughters is a bit easy because of her experience.
Talking about raising her two princesses, Baputaki says that she lets her daughters be and gives them space but calls them to order when the need arises. She says that as a single mother she is more than humbled when her kids excel at school because it shows her efforts to be a good mother are not in vain.
First time mother to her two-month-old boy, Fify Loewen says that being a new mom is awesome.
Like Baputaki, she says that words can’t describe the feeling. Loewen says the first few weeks for her as a new mother are confusing because she didn’t know what to do with the little person. She says that she has a way in which she is raising her son and says that she and her husband are very deliberate on how they raise their son.
Loewen says that there is a schedule for the baby and he has now adapted and knows his feeding times. Having been raised by a single mother herself, Loewen says that single mothers rock and deserve medals because of their ability to raise kids alone. She states that although her husband is a hands-on dad, sometimes it’s quite a challenge for her as a mother and she wonders how single mothers do it without the assistance of a partner, hence they deserve all the credit.
To all the mothers out there a happy Mother’s Day and may you continue with the role of being mothers, not just to your kids but all those who need mothering.
