7 Reasons Why I Now Understand My Mother

There are many reasons why motherhood gradually makes us better understand our mothers, their advice and their attitudes towards life. A lot of things change when we become parents, and now that I am, I understand my mother much better than before. Not only has my lifestyle and body changed, but my mentality has also changed.

When we are preparing to have a baby, we are always surrounded by people giving recommendations. Those of the mother and grandmother, however, are always the best. They are women who have dedicated their lives to their children and have managed to pass on a message of love from one generation to the next.

While there are many reasons why I now understand my mother, today I will summarize them in seven points.

Understanding them means coming to feel like them and take their advice literally,  appreciating the dedication and opportunity they have given us to improve our lives and those of our children.

1. The sacrifices of mothers

The main reason is that I now know what  made her change her life for me. The long hours before my arrival, the many sleepless nights, the cravings, the nausea and the sickness are incalculable.

The physical changes she had to adapt to, the pain of childbirth… All this represents for me the first of the many reasons I have to admire her. His courage, his responsibilities, make me feel sure  that he will support me on the path I must walk. 

2. The need for protection

Having our first baby in our arms makes us feel an immense need to always protect him, to give him love, to pray that nothing will harm him. This also makes us afraid of reality, because at any moment we may hear him cry without knowing how to help him.

Somehow the maturity of a mother allows us to understand that we will not be able to avoid her crying. Instead, we will be able to console him when he is at our side, because this is one of the fundamental parts of motherhood.

3. A more understandable love

Now I can understand her love so great for me,  I can value all the moments I spend with her. I understand my mother and her desire that everything in my life be perfect  and that I succeed in everything I set out to do. His ability to turn everything around in my favor and teach me to deserve it at the same time.

Sometimes a mother may not be able to describe all this affection in one word, but she is sure that she will try to show it all her life, enduring, waiting and giving the best of herself.

4. Intolerance to criticism

Whenever someone criticizes us or gives us a suggestion about our child, whether it’s about his behavior or the way we act in certain situations, we don’t know how to react. At that precise moment we  begin to reflect on the things our mother had to improve while she was raising us.  How many stunts have we done? We remember them as if it were yesterday and with the same emotion.

But we also understand that these are things we prefer not to listen to, because  no mother is happy that they criticize her children, that some stranger reproaches her and gives her advice on what to do to manage her children.

5. An endless work

Commit to the well-being of children, to make them people with values, healthy habits and principles. All this work never ends and remains unchanged over time, despite the difficulties that must be overcome to succeed.

Now I know that my mother had to shed many tears in silence, I understand everything she had to endure, how many things made her suffer without her children knowing.

I understand more than ever that just seeing our children happy makes everything worth it, and makes any suffering bearable.

6. Advice on how to raise children

Now I can reflect, in the light of more experience, on everything my mother told me about being a mother.  Mom is always right and it is important to know how to listen to her, but above all to put her advice into practice.

We must learn to deal with different characters, opposite personalities, rebellion and painful situations,  because this is where our role as mother gains strength. Only a mother knows how difficult it is to yell at her children, shape their character, accept their flaws and see themselves reflected in them to improve their own.

7. His tough attitude

Now I understand my mother, because she cared so much about me  and made sure I was always in her field of vision. I understand his calls and his happiness in seeing me return home safe and sound. Now his warnings make more sense and I share all his uneasiness  of when he had no news from me, perhaps during my moments of rebellion.