Sona Muradyan Professor Stephens English 101 15 March 2017 My Identity as a Mother When I was a teenager, I always wondered what the meaning of life was and where mine would lead. It was the moment my doctor told me I was pregnant, that I soon came to terms with the fact that my life and identity would be dedicated to my child. When you give birth to someone, you give infinite love with no expectations. In my opinion, the role of a mother in a traditional family plays an important role. The respect a mother receives is very vital in the family. A mother’s love is what creates warmth in the family. I have always seen the smile on a baby’s face when the mother began to caress it. I anticipated the moment where it would soon be my turn to cradle …show more content…
After finding out the good news, I started to prepare the items that I would need for my baby boy. I constantly found myself at Baby Gap, not missing the opportunity in buying all the clothes an infant could wear. Even though my husband told me not to buy all these things, I didn’t listen to my him because I was way too excited about having my first child. At the doctor’s office, I read in a magazine that if you gaze often at an adorable baby's photograph when you're pregnant, your baby will eventually look like him or her. While pregnant with Narek, I noticed a picture of a cute middle eastern looking baby in a Baby Gap poster at the Glendale Galleria. I immediately took out my LG Chocolate and snapped a photo of the poster. I wanted my son to have the same adorable smile and curly hair. As soon as the nurses put Narek on my chest I just started crying and I could not believe that this is what I was growing for nine whole months. I made so many life changes for Narek and for my family. I began to eat healthier and be more cautious about my decisions and surroundings. Adjusting to life with a new baby was very stressful for me. I did not have the same support system as I had back in Armenia. I rarely found a babysitter or someone to help take the kids out to the park while I rested. Daily routines changed for my husband and I. This was an important time for emotional adjustment. My entire identity had …show more content…
This maternal state of mind determined my priorities and thoughts. Taking care of my baby was my primary goal. Everything else did not seem as important anymore. The beauty of the maternal state of mind is that this is an enormous change of one’s own identity but it is all centered around this human being that weighs only eight pounds and will forever continue to grow. My previous mental state will forever be in the background and my only motivation in life is to create an environment in which my children can thrive. This motherhood state of mind will last throughout my entire life. I will never be the same person I was fourteen years ago when I had my first had Narek. My maternal identity emerges even more when it is my child’s first day of school, when Narek or Erik caught a cold, or when I’m doing simple things like treating them to a muffin from Whole Foods so I can see the blueberries smudge over their
Women throughout time have been compelled to cope with the remonstrances of motherhood along with society’s anticipations
W. S. Ross once said “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” As simple as this quip may sound, its complex implications are amplified through the life of every person born since the beginning of humanity. What attribute makes a mother such an extraordinary influence over her young? One such attribute is the ability to nurture. Beyond the normal challenges of cooking, cleaning, schooling, singing, feeding, and changing is the motivation by which such sacrifices are made possible. One cannot raise a child without mutual respect. Emotion and anxiety must drive her instincts. Her ability to foster is only heightened by minute personal imperfections and overwhelming responsibility that lead to a lack of confidence. Yet the prevailing characteristic that separates a ‘birth giver’ from a ‘mother’ is the unconditional, undying, and at times underestimated love for her child. To be a mother in the purest sense, she must embrace this notion of nurture.
The love of the mother to the daughter, during pregnancy, reinforces the sense of herself. The fusion with the daughter helps the mother develop a sense of her own supremacy since “an experience that, without the child, she would only rarely encounter: love for an other”. Besides, the love of the mother mirrors an interconnectedness with the social sphere. Social marginalization is eclipsed as the “maternal love affects the dynamic between the self as mother and society insofar as it creates connections and opportunities for engagement where none existed” (qtd. in Lemma 96). The strong bond and the reciprocity of the mother-daughter relationship foster a sense of creativity.
Having a child can be the happiest moment of a person’s life. A sweet little baby usually gives new parents tremendous joy. That joy can be accompanied with anxiety about the baby and the responsibility the new parents are faced with. The anxiety, in most cases, fades and joy is what remains. For some new mothers, however, the joy is replaced with a condition known as postpartum depression. “Postpartum depression is a serious disorder that until recently was not discussed in public…Women did not recognize their symptoms as those of depression, nor did they discuss their thoughts and fears regarding their symptoms” (Wolf, 2010). As such, postpartum depression is now recognized as a disorder harmful to both mother and infant, but, with early detection, is highly treatable with the use of psychotherapy, antidepressants, breastfeeding, and other natural remedies, including exercise.
When I was a teen, my mother gave birth to two children, a female (Tamber) and a male (Avery), nineteen months apart. As the two became more mature, my parent’s desire to place each child in the
Children are the pride and joy of many homes, but often parents’ struggles to meet the needs of their children. Some two-parent income home has been cut into a single parent home, due to divorce, lost of jobs, redundancy at work, and one parent leaving their job to become full time parents. With financial strains comes distress and discomfort in the home when the main breadwinner is unable to meet the needs of his or her family. For some families, nuclear, extended, or single parent, the birth of a baby brings tremendous joy and happiness. However, in some circumstances new birth can have a negative impact on the family. The birth of a baby can cause emotional strain and detachment, financial difficulties and sibling rivalry.
Reid, Marguerite. “The Loss of a Baby and the Birth of the Next Infant: The Mother’s
While I was talking with Hassan’s mother, she told me that she was preparing herself emotionally before getting Hassan. On the one hand, she read books about pregnancy, baby growth, and attended childbirth classes. On the other hand, she said that she wish someone told her to put a schedule for her. After she got the child, her life wasn’t goin...
It was August 25, 2006 and I just received the news that I was going to have a baby. At that moment so many thoughts ran through my mind. I was extremely nervous and terr...
Becoming a mom at sixteen was the hardest thing I have ever done. Trying to work, go to school and take care of my daughter seemed impossible. My mom was always there to support me, but from the moment I found out I was pregnant I was determined to do it on my own. When you become a mom at sixteen the paths you can take in life change, and you are no longer a teenage you become an adult really fast.
There are many different areas to consider when preparing for and having a newborn. Whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned or the couple is married or not, a newborn baby brings new responsibilities. Having a baby also forces people to make adjustments both financially and within the family. Parents also express concerns and expectations when having a newborn comma especially when it is their first; including what roles each parent and family member should play, how much confidence they have in their parenting skills, and how much financial strain would be placed on the family once the newborn has arrived. The newest issue in today’s society is the fact that many women are delaying childbirth and having more children in their later years of life.
Ramona T. Mercer is the theorist credited for developing the theory of Maternal Role Attainment, which is also known as the theory of Becoming a Mother. “Maternal role attainment is an interactional and developmental process occurring over time in which a mother becomes attached to her infant, acquires competence in the caretaking tasks involved in the role, and expresses pleasure and gratification in the role (Tomey & Alligood, 2006, p. 608). Mercer’s career has been primarily focused in pediatrics, obstetrics, and maternal-child nursing. Mercer’s greatest accolades have been based on her extensive research on the topic of maternal role and development (Tomey & Alligood, 2006, p. 605).
Everyone has an identity even though it takes a while to find out what it is. I never thought about what my identity was. I didn’t find my identity until I became a mother, my whole outlook on life changed. Growing up I didn’t have a relationship with my mother, so I didn’t have anyone to show me how to be a mother. I made a packed with myself to be a better mother then my own mother.
I have interviewed my sister in law who became a parent at the age of twenty. She got married when she was seventeen and is married to her husband for about five years now. Right now they have two children 16 months apart and both deliveries happen to be a C-section. She faced many challenges and complications being a young mom and some of challenges she talked about in the interview.
Becoming a mother has been the best part of my life. I became a mother at a very young age. I had no idea what to expect and was not in the least prepared for the journey that lie ahead. I have truly embraced motherhood and enjoy all the wonderful things it has taught me. While living through motherhood, I have found that it can teach you the most valuable lessons there are to learn. Being a mother has taught me how to have patience. I have also learned that being a mother takes a lot on mental and physical strength. My children have been the best to teach me how to juggle many tasks at once. They have made me strong. Even through some unexpected turns, I have learned how to get through hard times and really learn what it means to never give up. My children are my biggest blessing, and I hope they will learn valuable lessons through me. The skills I have learned from being a mother have helped me in my college journey.