There’s one word that underpins motherhood – and it will not quit
It’s a word as synonymous with motherhood as the dark circles under your eyes.
A word that goes hand in hand with the long days, just like your toddler’s palm in yours when crossing the street.
A word that is uttered in mother’s groups everywhere when you talk about the day to day of raising your little loves.
A word that sometimes sounds negative – but maybe shouldn’t.
The word is ‘relentless’.
Let me explain.
It’s relentless giving
When you become a mother, you are suddenly living for someone else. Yes you are still you, of course, but this new life is so dependent on you. So you give to her, in every way possible. And then before you know it, years have passed and the giving doesn’t stop. Sometimes you feel you might break from all the giving. Giving of sleep, giving of energy, giving of self, giving of sanity, giving, giving, giving.
Giving has become your natural state of being in the family.
And you do it because …
It’s relentless love
The love you have for your babies, who blossom into little people and then bigger people is never-ending. It is a love that is ever enduring. So big and so powerful, that you can never understand it. It bewilders you and also fuels you to go on and on and on. To give all that you are.
It is relentless.
It’s relentless worry
Then, because of the relentless love we feel for our children, comes the worry and guilt. Sometimes we know this is crazy, that they will grow up anyway, regardless of how many balls we feel we are dropping. And then other times, it is a deep intuitive calling that something isn’t right.
That we need to take action. Change a situation. Help them. Protect them.
Whether good or bad, the worry and guilt is relentless, too.
It’s relentless joy
But as constant as worry and guilt are, so are the joyful moments!
Moments that are so exquisite you feel like your heart might explode. These are the times you want to bottle it but can’t.
Like when a little body nuzzles herself into you in bed – big spoon and little spoon – and you both drift off to sleep, a contented smile on your face. Or when your toddler picks you a flower and you wish you had a photo of the moment to treasure forever.
The joy is like a waterfall. It keeps on coming at you. And sometimes it knocks you over.
So yes, motherhood is relentless, a never-ending slog of giving, of love and tears, but maybe that’s also where the magic lies? Because it will not quit.
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