What Does Motherhood Mean to You?

Motherhood. It’s one of the most powerful words (and experiences) I can think of. We recently reached out to our community on social media to see how they personally define the word “motherhood.” Throughout this blog are some of their most heartfelt responses.

linda_blockheart Hard.

Personally, I can say that one of the greatest saving graces and reminders in my life has been my children. I am a proud mother of three, and now, a stepmom to three more powerful humans. I love being a mother, and I love that my kids push me to live my purpose even more fully…to make me stand even more firmly in my power and integrity, and to truly embody these qualities from moment to moment.

paulagomezv It’s the art of loving someone more than yourself. Know new limits and have the strength to fight against everything. It’s having a motivation and a reason to live and being happy.

Of course, the journey hasn’t always been smooth. But the motivation is always there.

Moms experience so much pressure to be perfect, or else we face the danger of traumatizing our kids through something that we did or something that we failed to do. And the fact is, we do traumatize our kids—it’s inevitable and it’s called life.

After over 20 years of being a parent, I have accepted to break down the split between “good” and “bad” and accept myself for who I am: from the moments of yelling at my kids to tucking them in bed and telling them how much I loved them. I have accepted the richness and complexity of my experience as a woman in the world who is simply trying to offer love and affection in the best way she knows how, from moment to moment…a woman who sometimes fails in doing these things but who, nonetheless, is dedicated to being the best and most authentic mom she can be.

cquin85 Incredibly hard, incredibly worth it!

Whether or not our identifications with motherhood are negative, positive, or a mixture of both, it’s a concept and role that looms over all women. It carries the gifts of nurturing, care, and almost superhuman love…as well as the wounds of neglect, abandonment, and conflict.

shell_fl Motherhood is experiencing love so strongly that it overflows into tears. Motherhood is expecting to teach a new human about life yet learning just as much from them. Motherhood is experiencing childhood all over again. Motherhood is realizing strength you never knew lived inside of you. Motherhood is messy and magical. It brings awareness & allows vulnerability.

Not all of us are mothers, but every single one of us has experienced motherhood—whether it’s through the (most likely) complex relationships we have with our own mothers and children, the unconditional love and nurturing we’ve discovered in our community of women, the sacred bond we share with our Mother Earth, or the joys and difficulties of birthing our dreams into this world.

editorkristina I once heard a conference speaker use the term “Mothering our communities.” What a great way to think of motherhood in a wider perspective! Not everyone has children, but we can all be mothers.

It is my belief that a powerful feminine thread weaves through every single woman on this planet. It connects us through our bloodlines, through our stories, and through our ability to create new life. This feminine thread is the essence of motherhood, of creativity, of connection. That’s why motherhood is something that every single one of us has the capacity to experience—especially when we choose to devote ourselves to something much bigger than our own lives.

zhalehg Incredible journey watching your little miracles making their way through life…Connected at the deepest level of pure love and hope for their happiness and success.

When I think about it, motherhood, simply stated, is the place where our feminine wisdom and capacity for love becomes a container for our deepest creative impulses.

kekrames My answer has more to do with what motherhood is NOT limited to—birthing another human.

No matter who you are or how you define motherhood, we wish you an incredible Mother’s Day! Let it be an occasion to ask yourself: What wonderful things have you mothered in the past? What are you choosing to mother now?

reyes_aurea Unconditional love! No more! No less! Love as it is!

snazzy_naz000 My life is no longer my own. I died and was reborn.