I Am A Mother…But I Have No Children.

“Mom” took on a whole new meaning for me once I began working more closely with children. I am not a mother, but have a wonderful one who I would argue is the best mom out there (I might be a little biased).

I  have had the opportunity to work with some wonderful children in my career. And to my surprise, some of them call me “mom” early on working with them. I cannot tell you how rewarding, yet heartbreaking, yet disturbing it is to hear those words from children who I feel are still practically strangers to me. There were even times children have referred to me as “mom” in front of their biological mother- that will always take the cake for most awkward moment ever!

Since having the privilege to work more closely with children over the past 2 years, I have come to understand the word “mom” as this; someone who is consistently in your life, and who will be there when they say they will. Mothers care about you, they show you how it feels to be loved. They teach you right from wrong. They take you to appointments to ensure you’re healthy. They sing with you and play games.

I am not these children’s mother, but I do for them all the things the typical “mom” would do.

How fantastic is it that children who may have been neglected or lost a parent during any time of their lives still feel they have a mother? Because to a child, a mother does not have to just be the person who births you. Their innocent little brains don’t even understand that concept yet. To a child, mothers are simply the nurturing people in your lives that teach you about love. And it’s great that I can do that for them. (Not to take away from the importance of any biological mothers- they will always be the women who brought these wonderful children into this world).

 Spending time with these children has given them the experience that every child should get to have; simply being loved.

So we can all be mothers to somebody, even if we biologically do not have any children. I have become a mother in my career, and even for how intimidating that may be at times it is SO rewarding. I have learned about what kind of mother I will be some day, and that having a mother is something every child deserves.

*For the sake of the holiday and my blog I have used the term “mom”, although this description of a mom pertains just as equally to any dads out there as well. We love you, dads, we didn’t forget about you!