I was inspired recently by the Dolce and Gabbana runway show in Milan a few weeks ago. But it wasn't the fashion that caught my eye … it was the babies! Yes. Babies on the runway – even some in the sweet tiny arms of the runway models. Initially you might think this was a gimmick from D&G but the entire show was a tribute believe it or not to motherhood and titled, "Viva la Mamma". I am surprised and relieved that honoring motherhood in this fun and fashionable way made it to the runways of Milan and has gained international attention. Granted, I might be more zoned in on this topic because I became a mother 18 months ago, am currently pregnant and about to deliver any day now. But nevertheless, motherhood should be honored. Today, however, it is under attack more than ever.
Maybe you don't realize it because you're not a momma or have just never thought of it, but believe me, it. is. under. attack. We live in a world where a mother can kill her own child through abortion or prevent motherhood from even taking place through contraceptives. We live in a world that honors corporate success over those 'crazy women' who are stuck inside their white picket fence lifestyle. When did the role of 'Mom' become woman's worst enemy? When did Motherhood feel more like a terminal illness than a vocation to love, nurture and contribute to the future? Seems like culture wants to slap a warning on it like it's pack of cigarettes: Motherhood: A Disease that can cause lifelong regret. Don't let it happen to you or anyone you love.
Any media attention towards the art of motherhood seems to focus in on celebrity moms. You know the ones, the celebrity momma who gained no more than 17 pounds and interviewed 48 hours after delivery with tips on how to lose the baby weight. For the love of God – if this is your experience with pregnancy, please keep it to yourself – us normal moms don't want to hear it. Motherhood is undervalued and minimized. You can either forfeit the role of motherhood through drastic means or accept it –but within the parameters that you have to still look amazing (by culture's standards) and don't you dare let go of those career aspirations.
I am a working Mom. I love my husband, my daughter, and my work. Yes, I love it all and am blessed by it all. But that doesn't mean that I can have or want it all – all at the same time. No matter what work God has in store for me, it will pale in comparison to being a daughter of God, wife to Ricky and Mom to Agnes and baby#2. Motherhood hasn't stripped my life from meaning, but given me new means to love. If you want to get love, you gotta give love. I love Ricky and am so blessed to love not only him but him in our daughter, Agnes, and this new little baby still growing in my belly. This celebration of love and life is beyond what I dreamed it would be. To love another is a calling, not a curse.
Motherhood is not a disease, it's an honor. Motherhood has not kept me from being me but allowed me to become who I was created to be. Motherhood has stretched my mental, spiritual and physical limits. It has taught me honesty, patience, empathy, and compassion. I've learned to say no more often instead of piling too much on my plate in an effort to make others happy. I'm surprised at my ability to handle pain and hostile environments (Have you ever witnessed first hand a toddler meltdown over a red vs. green spoon? It. Is. Terrifying). I've learned inadvertently that mashed up banana can double as hair gel and poop is not as scary as it used to be for me. I've accepted that I am imperfect, learned to apologize faster and admit that I don't know everything.
Motherhood is, in fact, liberating.
So I'm happy to see a fashion runway showcase motherhood in a positive light, even if some of those models looked a bit freaked out carrying kids down the runway. Young women need to know that while motherhood obviously carries with it great responsibility it is one of the greatest roles women can contribute to the world – to love another so deeply, so profoundly that it changes everything and everyone. Very, very few things in this world last forever and the love between a mother and a child is one of them.