I have mulled this blog over and over in my mind for weeks. What to write about my mother for Mother’s Day. How can I talk about the person who grew me, who birthed me, who raised me, in any way that justifies her?
Mothers are a force to be reckoned with. Maya Angelou said, “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.” As a doula, I can think of no better way to describe not only motherhood, but birth. In the labor space, a great storm occurs, opening and clearing the way for the birth of a child.
They mold and shape us in ways we don’t even know until we are in our 30s and saying, “I sound just like my mom.” They give us the best advice – the best I got from my mother was to know my worth, and to expect better. Now I do.
And they are not only the person who brought us into this world – they are also our grandmothers, our aunts, our sisters, and friends. They are queer and they are trans. They are ones who have lost both their own mothers and their babes. Their common thread is love and nurturing of the children in their life.
Happy Mother’s Day to each of you who has loved and cared for the children in your life. Your power inspires us.
Christina Clark is a DTI certified doula, certified GentleBirth childbirth educator, and sex educator. She is also DTI’s blog curator. She lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her partner and dogs. You can find her at www.sassafrasdoula.com and https://cecespeaksup.blogspot.com.