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Mothers do not need a particular day of the year to be reminded of their crucial role in nature and society. But society at large often needs reminding that the cliché (but true) phrase “a mother’s work is never done” is precisely because their work does not start or end on a particular day but extends beyond measure, with multiple roles in the nuclear and extended family, the workplace and civil society.
When a woman gives birth to a child, her horizons are widened, her role and status in society change profoundly and a life-long task begins. If she is among the (thankfully) large majority, she will have the support and help of the child’s father and their extended families in taking up this role, which has become ever more challenging in this fast-changing world. Some mothers, unfortunately, do not have this support and must face this task and challenge on their own.
On this day, our thoughts also go to mothers who, for one reason or another, suffer the pangs of separation from their children, and to those mothers who are no longer with us, whose “work is indeed done” and who have now gone to their rest. Those who are now absent from our lives dwell in our minds long after they have gone.
On Mother’s Day, we should also appreciate the fundamental value of motherhood shown by the sacrifices, love and warmth given by those who are not in any way tied through kinship with the children entrusted to their care. We must not forget the hard-working and affectionate nuns who run several children’s homes, caring for very young and older children on a short-term or long-term basis, when circumstances dictate that children cannot live with their natural families.
Many other children are raised by adoptive parents and foster carers who love these children as their own. During the past few weeks, Parliament has been discussing the Foster Care Bill with marked acknowledgement and praise for the work carried out by foster carers. On Mother’s Day, it is appropriate that foster carers should be lauded for the responsibility they undertake with affection and maturity. They offer an environment of stability, warmth and love to the children under their custody, even though they are aware that, in some cases, this may be only for a short while before the children go back to their natural families. Despite this, over the past eight years the number of foster carers has risen from 27 to 153, a sure indication that Maltese society is indeed responsive to the needs of children.
The State, or perhaps in this context the Motherland, also adopts a parental role through the provision of welfare resources, benefits and opportunities which enable its citizens to enjoy a better quality of life. The concept of solidarity, so well ingrained in Maltese society and in this Government’s vision, ensures that benefits and resources, in the widest sense, are enjoyed by all members of its society.
At the end of the day, the hope of all societies is that of mothers all over the world - the growth and happiness of our children, not only on this special day, but in all the days to come. |
