I believe in nurturing, especially between mother and child. It is difficult to survive without care and the more love you give the more you receive. My mother and I have a close and playful relationship. She tells me this is because she held me too much when I was a child. Many of my afternoons have been spent sitting at my kitchen table with my friends and my mother after school. We used to sit and talk for hours, she knows almost as much about my friends as I do. These afternoons made me realize that my mother will always be there to give me what I need and I always try to do the same in return.
A mother gives so much to her child throughout his or her life, especially when the child is in the womb. Many studies show that an amazing bond is formed between mother and child during pregnancy. The mother willingly gives up her body for the benefit of the child. Although baby takes a lot from the mom, there is reciprocal care in this relationship. Through all of the horrible morning sickness and high blood pressure, the baby leaves something behind that can save the mother’s life. Scientific research has found that the fetus leaves stem cells behind after birth that cluster around injuries in the mother later in life and attempt to repair the damage. These stem cells have been found clustered around brain and liver injuries in mice that have given birth and human cells are thought to act the same way. These stem cells are left behind in every pregnancy, even miscarriages and abortions. Before leaving mom for the real world, baby wants to return some of the care mom has put into their relationship.
Now I have left my mom for the real world for the second time in the span of our relationship. I am finishing up my first year of college four hours away from my home. Living away from my parents has been a very special experience but it has also made me realize that the bonds I have formed with my mother and other family members are naturally changing as I grow up. Although the relationship is changing, I know that it is still important to care for my mother, as she still cares for me.
I believe in the reciprocity of love and care. I want to give back what I have taken out of my relationship with my mother. I believe it is important to give back in every relationship because the more love you put in, the more love you get out of it.