Why Everyday Should Be Mothers’ Day.

This month many people around the world celebrated Mothers’ Day. I myself received Mothers’ Day messages from my network provider and some businesses to which I am a customer.

I thought: what? Just today?

After all, I am a mother everyday and have been for almost half my life.

But I am not here to sing my own praises as a mother. I am not here to pay tribute to myself. I believe, if I have done a good enough job (and as parents we always wonder), then my children will celebrate me in much the same way as I am about to celebrate my own mother.

In fact today I am not here as a mother but as a daughter.

Let me tell you a little bedtime story. When the Mombasa mommy household is about to retire for the night and it’s all quiet in our neighborhood that is when we hear it: the sound of a baby sniffling and crying pitifully.

She can’t be much older than 3 months. Something seems to always bother her at this time of night.

It is her mother, though, who fascinates me. You can hear her sing, soothe, rock, call out, make funny noises to calm her distraught little bundle of joy. This goes on almost every night and the poor young lady seems on the verge of tears herself even though her voice never changes and she doesn’t stop until the baby is quiet and (hopefully) asleep.

It is obviously her first baby.

Many a time I have been tempted to open my window and offer to take the little sweetheart so that she can rest.
This morning I heard another voice. It is so early that theirs are the only voices we hear.

A male voice- the father. He is clueless but singing off key anyway in a manner meant to relax the baby but which I think ends up scaring her.

As I write this at ten p.m,  I can hear his wife back in position to rock her little one. As tired as she sounds, her comfort is second to her daughter’s.

It seems unfair to dedicate just one day to our mothers. Or even our fathers.

Mothers never get a day off or time out from motherly duties so why dedicate  just a miserly twenty four hours to them?

Mothers, beyond the late nights, beyond the lack of sleep, beyond the diaper changes, beyond the million other things they do………. mothers………. sacrifice.

They do it in ways they cannot disclose to their children for fear their children might feel guilty for being the reason for those sacrifices.

Mothers sacrifice their wellbeing for their children’s sake. Sure, we talk of taking care of ourselves but give a mother a choice between her child’s needs and her own, hands down a mother knows what path she will take. Never mind whether her actions will be appreciated or not…..

It makes no difference how old you are or how old your own children are (mine are teens) to your mother you are still her baby.

My mother Mama M is a great- grandmother – literally and figuratively, may Allah protect her.

She still worries and encourages and scolds and cajoles and supports and advises and gives you tough love and an honest opinion, and pushes you to eat right, brush your hair and mostly she always always takes your hand and guides you towards the Almighty may the Almighty bless her, ameen.

Our mothers deserve celebration every day.

They deserve attention, gifts, our humility and heartfelt prayers and our gratitude not that we can ever do them justice or repay them for raising us.

But the least we can do is try.

So go ahead.

Put your head on your mother’s lap and thank Allah for her. If she is no longer living, then raise your hands in prayer for her.

Celebrate mothers every day.

(Photo Courtesy of Eric Froehling on Unsplash)