Mothers make our world better

The second Sunday of May in every year has been set aside to celebrate mothers for their invaluable roles in raising and nurturing children to become the persons families and societies expect.

Indeed, having a mother, be it biological, spiritual, as a mentor or simply someone to look up to towers above all other relationships. A priceless relationship that sees her countless love, sacrifice, dedication and devotion towards her family, which usually helps define the family.

While fathers may provide the seed, it is the mother, likened to a farmer, who nurtures the planted seed, spends time in ensuring that the produce from the seed are good enough to serve humanity.

The Daily Graphic congratulates all mothers on their toil and sacrifices to families. Indeed, Mother’s Day began as an event celebrated in the Western world, but the role of mothers in our local situation is comparable to the role of mothers anywhere else, necessitating the need for us to equally celebrate and honour our mothers.

It all began in 1908 when Anna Jarvis, a peace activist who used to care for the wounded soldiers of the American Civil War, organised a memorial for her mother. The event was held at the St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which currently holds the International Mother's Day Shrine.

Anna Jarvis began the task of getting support for the celebration of Mother's Day in the United States in 1905 after her mother died the same year. She wanted to honour all the mothers of the world who had done a lot for their families and society.

Mothers have been known to be much more than what Ms Jarvis perceived her mother to be. Who in the world has not been raised or impacted by a mother or a mother figure?

From the time of conception, being in the womb for the nine months through birth to adulthood, mothers play a significant role in shaping their children to be useful to society. They preserve lives, are life givers, nurture, shape and mould children to become responsible people.

Traditionally in the family setting, fathers are the breadwinners while mothers are the homemakers, however, with the economic challenges, the bread fathers bring home is often not enough to adequately take care of the family, compelling mothers to step in to help to ensure that their families do not starve.

They do not take their role as homemakers for granted, going all lengths to perform their duties. In these times when modernisation and sometimes, circumstances and location threaten the future of extended families, stepping in to guide mothers with newborn babies become critical.

Mothers are also the glue that holds the family together, making sure that there is peace and unity between father and children and among children, and sometimes, the extended family members, preserving the family line and passing on traditions and culture to the next generation.

They have been blessed with the unique responsibility of ensuring the continuation of generations – without motherhood, the world may be depopulated in the future and without mothers who raise their children well, the future may end up with people who are not ready to hold their place as the next generation of leaders.

It is for these special and unique roles that mothers are celebrated, and the Daily Graphic joins the world to celebrate  all mothers.