Stella Wanda Johnson Ratliff
Mom
Mother’s Day
Now this is a day worth remembering. Have you ever
considered what it takes to be a Mother? Really! I ask this not to belittle
your understanding of the task but to emphasize the breadth of it; this is no
mean responsibility.
I am not going to get into the physical part of this. There
are some parts of motherhood that, frankly, have left me shaking my head. For
example: most females have the physical characteristics required for motherhood
somewhere between their 12th and 15th birthdays. I’m not spending
any time here. I don’t know either. Even when you push it up to 18, 19, 20, 21
there is still a lot of responsibility dropped in the lap of the female of our
species. This is particularly true when you look at it as a member of Western Culture,
America
in particular.
If you graduate from High School at 18, go to a four year
college and graduate, you are now 22. If you have given any serious thought to
taking time to carefully plan your future, children are not likely to be a part
of your plans just yet. That would be very true if you were considering a
highly skilled career like, Medicine, any science which required a PhD,
Politics, Research, in truth almost anything. The exception would be teaching.
But if that is your path a Master’s Degree is pretty much required for pay
scale and any chance of moving up the food chain in Education. That can be done
and has been by many while teaching and being a mom. But, it is not easy.
There is the old biological clock that ticks on and in truth
vying for a position in the employment arena that fosters competition, skills
development and being active long enough to invite “Luck” into the equation you
could easily scratch off another five to ten years. OK, now you are thirty two.
If you are skilled, socially adept, competitive, attractive and desirable, you
probably don’t want to marry, get pregnant and smear pabulum all over your
expensive designer clothing that gets you in the door.
So you could easily be forty before the time would be “right”
for a pregnancy break. That is also about the outer limit for most women to
take on motherhood. And that may not even be an attractive option at this
point. It depends, at least in part on how many children you have been around
during your career preparation. And, if you think talking over a belligerent
board member in a corporate meeting is difficult, try reasoning with a child three
months old with colic.
Look at me. I’m ending my first page and haven’t even gotten
to soccer games. This could take a while. And wait until you hear about
volunteer time in the food kitchen during games and the driving schedule. Did I
mention Band, Scouts, Church, Sports, PTA……..Did I mention nieces and nephews?
Oh, and did I ask if you would be doing this as single mom, same sex couple or
standard issue straight married couple? Also, are you politically active? And
if you are a part of a married couple and fall into what once was called a
normal family grouping, will this be a first marriage, an arrangement of
convenience or an impregnation with no intended father on premises?
Here’s the point. Mothers are stars, angels, friends,
mentors, disciplinarians, coaches, teachers and they do it with love and magic.
I miss my mom, admire my daughters for the terrific moms they are and hope you
love and honor the women in your lives who hold the title.
Happy Day Mothers.
©Herb Ratliff May 12, 2013, All Rights Reserved
