The secret of a mother’s courage

Posted on January 21, 2010 by FoBaM-Jamie

worldhandsAtlas has nothing on moms when it comes to carrying the weight of the world. After all, he was only a character in Greek mythology; we’re real women living in the real world dealing with the very real ups and downs of raising children to be good and happy people.

That journey has good days and bad days. There are lots of surprises (not all of them the wrapped-up-with-a-bow kind), plenty of erroneous assumptions (if I only knew then what I know now), and more survival by dumb luck than we’d care to admit. Each day our courage and often our patience are tested to the breaking point. Still, it’s a journey that we wouldn’t trade for all of King Midas’ gold.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus said, “You don’t develop courage by being happy … every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” He may have been the wrong gender to be a mom, but his observations are fitting for those of us bearing that title.

None of us is born a mother; we evolve into moms. We learn on the job through repeated trial by fire. Each stage of life carries its own “difficult times and challenging adversity.” Whether we are ready or not, we step up to the plate each day and do the best we can. We get the baby to sleep, heal boo-boos with kisses, provide counsel in matters of the heart, and explain the sometimes harsh ways of the world … all while keeping the house relatively clean, the checkbook almost balanced, and some sort of dinner on the table.

Beyond the world of our own families, we take responsibility for the rest of the world. After all, it’s the greatest legacy we leave to our children. So, when we’re not tending to the daily needs of our own offspring, we worry about the big issues facing us and our planet. We reach out to help others in our family, circle of friends, community, country, and the world at large. As mothers, we feel a deep empathy for those in need and a strong desire to help fulfill that need however we can.

As we’ve all experienced, most recently with the disaster in Haiti, the Big World can be a sometimes tragic and frightening place. Even our Small Worlds hold their share of heartache and calamity. Although surviving can be painful and even heartbreaking, it can also bring out the best in people. We learn compassion, empathy, and we become braver and more courageous – reaching deep inside our hearts to do what needs to be done, because that’s what moms do.

Although, according to Epicurus, being happy may not create courage, I think that the courage of moms creates happiness. Each act of courage – no matter how small – opens doors, dispels fears, and proves that you can make the world a better place … even if, and maybe especially because, you’re “just mom.”

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