Mother’s Day in Modern Day

Mother’s Day is along the way and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this beautiful day with my family and especially my mom! Even though I’m going to bring her flowers and cake for her big day, there is actually no gift in the world that could ever repay her for all the blessings she’s brought in my life.

By Eleftheria Kollia - The Tiny Storyteller

My mother is a very intelligent and sensitive woman that I’ve always admired not just for her sharp mind and humor, but also for her honesty. She’s a straightforward, opinionated person, who’s never afraid to speak her mind, no matter who she challenges with her thoughts.

She’s worked hard her entire life, starting out by being an ace student. After finishing law school she got a job as a lawyer. Later in life though, she realized that certain aspects of that job ironically contradicted with her beliefs on truth and justice. Such a fact combined with her devotion to my upbringing, led her to the decision to quit and focus on her family. And believe me: Being a mother and a housewife is probably one of the toughest jobs. Not just because of the hard work, but also because of the lack of recognition.

Don’t get me wrong: My dad has always been supportive of my mom and so do I. We recognize that the frontline of our lives works like a clock, because my mom is giving her heart, soul and sweat, backstage. We couldn’t be prouder of her and more importantly, we couldn’t be more grateful for everything she does for us. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our quick witted Wonder Woman.

Still, though, the lack of recognition for my mom’s hard efforts often originates from society. It’s easy for people to be full of prejudice by commenting charming things like “So, you’re just a mother and a housewife? Aren’t you bored without a real job?”

The worst part is that such comments don’t only come from men, but more often than not are actually the words of other women. And truthfully, it hurts to be the target of such a disregard towards someone’s worth or even hardships.

Mother: The Most Important And Hardest Work In The World

The fact that we as modern women are out there making our own living and claiming new positions in the socioeconomic floor is amazing. Striving for equality is a long road but every progress we make towards it is a feat we must be proud of. But we should always remember that for us to be able to be out there, striving for a better future, there have been countless of generations of housewives in whose shoulders we stand. These women provided care, love, support and hard work for us to even exist today.

The fact that there are women who choose the path of a mother and housewife even in modern day should be respected with every meaning of the word. There is nothing wrong with someone’s choice – weather that’s a man or a woman – to focus on family and not on a job, provided that’s something they themselves desire and isn’t forced on them by the problematic standards of suppressing societies.

As I was thinking more of Mother’s day, I came to realize that my mother, even though sometimes faced with adversity, is still a very lucky woman. Because she was born in a time and place where she chose her destiny with her own free will and can now see her child do the same. I found myself broken in the realization that there are countless mothers in this world who do not have the same privilege and who society doesn’t recognize as equals, even during our advanced modern times.

Truthfully, in an equality promoting world, Mother’s Day could be a great symbol. I understand that this may sound strange, but I’ll explain further.

Mother's Value Is Priceless

Every single one of us was born by a mother. This should be the most important and humbling reminder of equality in the world. Our gender, skin color, sexual orientation, nationality, beliefs and any other characteristic we have, shouldn’t distinct us from one another. Since we were all born by a mother, we should all get the same opportunities and be given the same amount of respect, because that’s exactly what each and every one of us on earth deserves. Equality should be our heritage! Because that’s the absolute proof that we’re all human beings, brought in this world by these awe-inspiring people called mothers and for that fact alone, we should all be allowed to dream, achieve, work, decide and plan the life we want.

It is the worst tragedy to know that there are some mothers today who lead the lives of slaves or see their kids die because of hunger, poverty, wars, discrimination, molestation, racism, homophobia or any other kind of horrifying crime. The fact that any good mother on earth laments for her baby on such a holly day because of someone else’s cruelty is the deadliest of sins.

I know there aren’t only good mothers in the world. But even in the cases of the unkind mothers, their children shouldn’t be treated as less than the rest of us. We aren’t responsible for the virtuous or dark parts of our parents’ lives. What’s important is that since we were all brought in this world by somebody’s womb, it’s a grand indicator that there is nothing actually separating us from one another and we actually have in common the most prominent thing in the world: The fact that we exist and we must learn to co-exist.

For anyone reading this, remember to be kind to your fellow man because anyone you meet was born by someone the same way you did. And if you were raised by one woman or many women who cared, loved and supported you throughout your life – regardless if they were your biological mother or not – then cherish this day to celebrate their lives. Mothers aren’t necessarily only the ones who gave birth to us. Mothers are the ones who take us under their wings and nurture us until we develop our own wings to fly and even then they still hold a nest for us to return to when we wish.

I myself feel grateful to have my mother in my life. She taught me perseverance, empathy and kindness. She’s the first person to cheer during my successes and the first to hug me whenever I cry, while giving me hope. She’s a feisty fighter, a knight in the shiniest of armors.

But along with my mother, I want to say I’m grateful for two more women I find special in my life. And these wouldn’t be others than my two grandmothers. One of them is a brave tough cookie and the other is a sweet, yet stubborn lady. Both had dreams they accomplished and dreams society stole from them. But none of that stopped them from giving me not only their blessing, but also a helping hand to stand tall to my desires and strive to achieve my own dreams with all my might. I hope I make them proud and I want them to know that no matter how many years go by, I shall never forget them.

To the women who don’t want to be mothers in their life, more power to you and be proud. On this day and every day, remember to celebrate the motherly figures that taught you to love yourself for you and strive for the life you want, regardless what anybody says.

To the women who wish to experience motherhood, learn from your beloved mother figures, imitate and improve upon their paths. I hope this day will be one that your children will celebrate by being grateful for your beautiful existence in their lives in the years to come.

Blessed be the mothers of the earth

And blessed be all of humanity springing from them.

P.S: Fun fact, I was born in Mother’s Day, so yay me! ☺

Happy Mother’s Day To You All,

Eleftheria Kollia - The Tiny Storyteller