There is something about mothers that make children sit up and take notice.
On one hand, it could be that warm smile that warms up all the way to the innermost sanctum of the child's body.
On the other hand, it could be that gentle yet firm rebuke for falling short of her standards. It is not so much the pain that is felt by the senses but the inner tugging that makes a child queasy for the duration of that disconcerting episode.
In between are a whole lot of intangibles that practically comprises a whole lifetime. That is how a mother...ok, a good mother means to her child.
To many children, the first human being that they recognize is the mother. She is the one who nourishes with her breast and secures with her embrace.
Almost always she is the one who dress up a child regardless of whether it is an important function or just going out to play. And when the inevitable bruises emerge after some nasty fall, she is the standby nurse who can be relied to dress up the wound.
In most cases, she is the first teacher who painstakingly coaxes the first word out of a child. And in most cases, the first word is the one that a child will utter probably more than any other word: mother (or whatever variant there is in place).
Far too often, she is the first one who can successfully invite the child out of the comfort of a touch or a walker into the initial discomfort that the first few steps bring.
And what about the first lessons in the alphabet, the first day in school, the first assignment that comes with it? In all probability, mother will have something to do with it.
When life becomes more complicated, it is mother who is the most preferred comfort zone. And when even more complications turn up, she is the most sought after sounding board.
The changing seasons of time may have complicated life and the roles that people play in them. The line that separates mothers from fathers, and even those between parents and foster parents may seem to fade with the passing of time.
Still, there is little doubt about the importance of mothers and the negative effect that their absence leaves on every child's life. For every discontented child, there are thousands who would line up to have them.
Of course, fathers have their roles to play in the life of a child. But that is another story.
In more ways than one, a mother's touch is the mother of all cares.
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