Motherhood

Motherhood is the most fulfilling yet hardest job EVER.

Now that I am a mother to a 7-month old baby girl, I’ve been asked the same question far too many times in the span of 7-months: “What do you do now?” and I always answer with confidence that I am now not only a housewife but a mother.

I don’t like it when people have this weird awkward reaction when they learn that the women they know are full-time moms or housewives. People tend to have this look that they’re thinking: why-be-ONLY-a-mother-when-you-can-do-so-much-more?!

I have observed even before I was a mom that most women I know (that are moms) when asked this question starts to have this uncertainty & disdain over their answers. It’s like being bullied secretly by men (not only men) and other women who have careers & count singlehood as their priority.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire people who are successful in their chosen career but I admire more the women who have chosen family above everything else because it’s hard to give up on something you know you’re good at and something you can call your own, yet it is even harder to focus all your energy and knowledge to your family’s needs.

Why motherhood is the most fulfilling yet hardest job ever? Let me give you a few random reasons why.

• Mothers literally carry their children for 9 months, creating them in her likeness & ability.
• Mothers’ primary role is to raise their children.
• A human being is depending on you, and not just any human being but someone who is linked to you by body,blood & soul
• Mothers are on-call 24/7 and may require overtime without.
• Everything mothers do is without monetary compensation.
• Mothers instinctively become their child’s stronghold & protector, even if the mother thinks she’s weak to be so.
• In the world of motherhood, “bahala na” and half-cooked decisions/doings are not accepted.
• Mothers exert more effort to give their best and their all in everything they do.
• A mother and child share the same identity in the child’s first few months of living. They go together as one.
• Mother’s job is to take (away) all the pain, fear & doubts of their children.
• Mothers are role models not only for their kids but for their kid’s friends, their family and everyone immediate to her members of the family.
• Mothers are teachers and guidance councilors, sometimes they also tend to be a tutor and even the principal.
• Mothers are also the best friend, the first girlfriend, the playmate, the classmate and the shopping buddy of their kids.

I could go on and list down all the things that mothers can and are willing to do for their children. I am one of them, I believe there is no better job description motherhood entails and the reward could only result to one: on how the child grows up to become somebody somewhere through the mother’s guidance.

Now here are a few good reasons why I love being a mom and housewife:

• I don’t need to work regularly to provide for my family.
• I wake up late in the morning or sleep late at night without worrying about my job.
• I get to bathe,feed,burp and put my daughter to sleep.
• Afternoon naps and playtime with my daughter.
• I control my own time & schedule.
• I get trips to the salon, spa and gym regularly.
• I get to see my daughter grow before my eyes (literally).
• I get to see my husband appreciate the work I’ve put up in maintaining a good household & in utilizing my skills.
• I am stress-free.
• I wake up each day with a smile, looking forward to a spontaneous day.
• I get to appreciate the simplest things in life.
• I get to watch my favorite series everyday.
• I have a free time.
• Best of all, I am closer to my child and have a bond (with my family) that time cannot bring back nor money cannot buy.

So to all mothers and soon-to-be mothers, next time you’re asked by someone that question. Answer it with pride & confidence because everyone can be a child but not everyone can be a mother.