LA NOTION DE MÈRE

This is a vast spectrum. Mother's Day is a funny concept. For some, it’s exasperatingly kitsch; for others, it’s a lovely celebration. Regardless, I think what interests me here is seeing what the term 'mother' confronts us with and to observe the representations that arise from this curious syllable. The notion of the mother cannot be standardized. It is defined by living it, by going through it, whether you are a mother or a child. There are those who brood like wolves. There are those who need an escape with friends. There are those who make snide remarks. The ones who couldn't bear not putting their baby to bed. There are those whose absence causes heartbreak - the ones you'd better protect yourself from. The ones you'd better protect yourself from. There are those who text to see if their 28-year-old has eaten lunch - those who love without always knowing how to express it. Those who love without always knowing how to express it. There are those who breathe in dirty T-shirts before washing them. Those who have already collapsed. There are those who are two and those who are struggling on their own. Those who wanted it and those who had no choice in the matter. There are those who freeze their eggs and those who have chosen to have an abortion. There are those who would like to sleep between 3 and 5 in the morning and those who make noise outside the door, too eager to reunite. There are those who carried and those who adopted. There are those who wish they had and those who have to live with the loss of their baby. There are those who are hypervigilant and those who combine motherhood with freedom. There are those who protect despite all odds. What does it mean to be a mother? What does it mean to be a child? Motherhood brings us back to the shaky equivocality of the world, to the insoluble enigma of our identities. Motherhood is not a posture, gift, status, or weapon; it is a mystery that it is up to us to decipher, a humility that it is up to us to explore. I hope you celebrate our diversity. Thank you to my mother and my son for raising me every day.

Marie Robert is an author and philosophy teacher. As the head of Montessori schools, she created @philosophyissexy to share her philosophical reflections daily.

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