The critical role of mothers in the lives of children

A good mother has been historically expected to contribute her whole life to her family. Mothers have been the glue that holds a family together because it is up to them to provide the loving care and support needed by growing children. The nurturing a mother provides is unparalleled and a vital part of a child's care. It takes learning and practice to become a qualified mother. It is not an easy job because mothers must learn as they go. It is helpful if they were raised in a caring home so that they can pass it on to their child. A good mother is obligated to care for her family and put them before al else. The ideal living environment that a mother can provide for her children is a warm caring home.

Mothers have a special place in their children’s lives because of the bondage that starts from pregnancy and develops through childhood, youth, and adolescence. A mother’s involvement with her children is unique and different because there is a strong emotional and social bonding occurring in between. Bonding with children comes only with a day-to-day unconditional love and care of the family. We need to recognize the inextricable strong link that exists between the mothers and the welfare of the whole family including the father and children. Every thing is well if the mother is well in the household. A jewish proverb says, “god could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.” The words of this venerable proverb have strong emphasis on the important role mothers play in raising their children and taking care of their spouses. Like wise, the italian proverb says, “dietro un uomo di successo ce sempre una grande donna di successo.” In arabic, it also says the same thing, “warra kulu rajil azen emraa.” What it means is that, behind a great man, there is always a great woman. It is unthinkable to find a great man who is unmarried because a man is not complete until he is married. But if there is a great unmarried man, he must have a great mother behind him. In other words, women not only mold and guide their children to be the best citizens, but they also prepare their spouses to become successful at work and in life. Men become the best they can be only with the support and encouragement of women. It is evident that men cannot live without women, but women can live without men because we have observed many of them raising decent children in a household full of love and, care without the support of men. However, it is true that mothers have unique role in parenting, but it cannot be 100% complete without the involvement of fathers.

We should gratefully cherish and uphold the love and dedication of our eritrean mothers who willingly brought us to this world with great pleasure, nurturing us with love and care and raising us to be humble, considerate and understanding with our friends and foes alike. As we are well aware, cultural barriers have been difficult to cross because our mothers were not allowed to see beyond the sacred fences of tradition. However, the role of women in the eritrean society has altered radically and widely diversified over the years. Eritrean mothers, against all odds, not only challenged traditional roles by engaging in typically male-dominated occupations, they also provided progressive and positive role models for young boys and girls and diligently served the eritrean villages and communities. During the thirty years of armed struggle, the eritrean women threw away their veils and skirts to carry guns like their brothers and fight the national colonial enemy. After independence, eritrean women replaced their aprons with overalls, their wooden spoons with wrenches and pick axes, and their kitchens with offices to collaborate with their brothers in nation building. Currently, contemporary eritrean women are playing a more active role in professional careers and, at the same time, making all the necessary efforts in the world to raise their children with love and care.

Posted by : Haminah