Sunday May 10 was Mother’s Day. But with an ever increasing number of days to mark every year, it is becoming difficult to keep up.

In fact, were it not for a belated conversation between my daughter and her mother, this column would have read totally different.

Motherhood is a subject that no person can ignore, be it man or woman. If you are not one, then you either have one, or nature has destined you to be one.

Obviously, without mothers there would be no life on earth, human or animal. Mothers are both procreators and custodians of all living things.

I usually envy people whose mothers are still alive. Mine passed on a couple of years ago in her 70s.

This was a very sad moment for all of us. Women live longer than men by some considerable margin.

Both my grandmothers were centenarians. That’s why we found my mother’s demise premature.

But heart disease is a tricky one and it attacked her in a big way as a result of acute kidney failure. RIP mummy!

There can never be a greater feeling of being blessed for a parent than having children who bear offspring while their grandmothers are alive.

Imagine the joy of great grandmothers when they see their lineage a couple of generations down the line during their twilight years.

Although we have since tried hard to move on, it was a defining moment in our lives. For those people of my age, growing up was quite an experience.

Mum’s cane (in our case the belt) was always within reach. Being a mischievous one, I can remember the thrashing that I experienced to put me back in line.

Being a teacher, my mum never tired of the belt until I was of age and could understand the consequences of my choices in life. I attribute my humble, but significant, successes so far to her guidance.

But sometimes one falls into regret that you never did enough to show your appreciation and love when she was still alive.

The simple things – like sending her birthday wishes, calling her once a week to just check how she is doing, surprising her with some cash either for pocket money or a project she has been thinking about. Just showing her she is simply the best. 

Unfortunately, our so-called modernism is redefining motherhood in ways that do not augur well for society.

The  social re-engineering is creating a world that looks down on maternity as something women should be afraid of.

Giving birth and nurturing, things that we have taken for granted since creation, have now been turned into a hazard that should be avoided for “better” alternatives such as careers. Motherhood has never been easy, but that’s nature for you.

In the developed world, more so in Western Europe and progressively in North America, population growth rates have decreased drastically as women seek independence from the “yokes” of family life; and by this I mean the traditional set up.

Labour and child rearing is now frowned upon as something primitive. That is why millions of dollars are being spent in promoting abortion campaigns especially in Africa where we still have real people! But that’s a long story for now.

Although am not a woman to understand the intricacies of motherhood, I salute all those women who still respect their God-given obligations.

Were it not for my dear one wife (hehe), I would feel totally incomplete without the three lovely children she has brought forth for us.

Therefore, for those who condemn motherhood as outdated, visit your mum or give her a call. That will be enough to sober you up. — The writer is a communication expert, and public policy analyst  —ndegwasm@gmail.com