mother (according to a Google search)
noun
- a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth.
I
was too shocked when I came upon this article aiming to defend the honour of Madam Prime Minister of Jamaica, and felt urged to throw in my
lil bit more than two cents' worth.
If
you're an adult female and have never been asked about your procreation plans,
you must live somewhere out in space... We Earthlings on the other hand have
had to declare, defend and even debunk misconceptions regarding
our statuses.
Thankfully,
I've never truly felt a need to explain my childlessness, neither have I felt
'less than' because of it. Ironically though, this attitude has sometimes
caused me to worry/wonder if something is wrong with me for not feeling bad
about it #poorMeLoL
On
a serious note however, unless you have a personal relationship with the woman
who has not borne a child (in which case you'd know the circumstances anyway)
you do not know the situation so just shut up!
What
if she's trying and can't get pregnant?
What if she knows she's not financially and or emotionally able to care for a child and would not be so thoughtless as to bring a child into an unsuitable situation?
What if she knows she's not financially and or emotionally able to care for a child and would not be so thoughtless as to bring a child into an unsuitable situation?
What
if she has made some personal goals that will not be accomplished if she has to
take care of a child?
What if she's yet to be in a relationship in which she feels secure enough to bring a child?
I
guarantee there are many children in State care or even in families who would
have truly appreciated greater prudence on their mothers' parts...
To
berate a woman on the basis of the unproductivity of her womb is
tantamount to praising the abusive 'mother', after all didn't her womb produce?
To
judge a woman on the basis of her choice not to have a child is equal to
lauding the mother who chooses to become pregnant so she can use this fruit of
her womb to keep, spite or nyam out a man.
The
fact that a woman's uterus has never housed a life has no bearing on that woman's abilities for
achieving greatness, her effective contribution to her society or her worth
as a woman (unless of course you subscribe to the notion that women should be barefoot and pregnant - in which case I don't understand why you'd even be reading this).
You're
having a baby! I'm so happy for you! I'll bring a gift to your shower and
my heart will go out to you when your ankles are swollen or you can no longer
see your toes while standing or when you have to make a million plus trips to
the bathroom (at night) and you're always hungry. I'll pray you up when
it's close to delivery and you're getting anxious. I'll babysit
(occasionally) or, if we're tight like that, gladly become god-mother. Motherhood is an awesome responsibility and kudos to all mothers whom I
know and love (as well as the millions others); but I don't once think myself
less than any of them!
I've
only really tried to make one point in this entire article (so I thank you for reading it in its entirety). We must all walk in our
purpose: If you're a mother, make sure you're a damn good one, if you're
not, your impact is for another sphere.
