Rising up: Many mothers prove worthraising unexpected children

We wish a blessed Mother’s Day to all those who have sacrificed in order to bring new life into the world and invested years of dedication preparing them to inherit the earth when it is their time to do so.

This day comes just a few days after the release of a draft decision of a Supreme Court abortion case suggests a weakening of that the controversial 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal in many cases. The ruling is not final and its release was not authorized, but Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed its validity as he complained of the leak.

Today we celebrate mothers, and won’t enter the debate of the current case or abortion in general; for some people it is a moral issue and to other a political one, and isn’t likely to be resolved ever.

However, the timing brings to mind the many outstanding mothers who did not plan their pregnancies, but who rose to the responsibility and became shining examples of proper child care and rearing.

Such cases are many. Many women who knew they would have children at some point in their lives might not have wanted one as soon as it occurred. They might have wanted more time alone with their partners or establishing financial security. Ready or not, here came the baby.

For many of those women, abortion was not an option; their own morality or beliefs precluded the termination of a pregnancy, regardless of the law. And despite their concerns, they made the necessary adjustments of time, lifestyle and budgeting to take on their new responsibility.

It’s been said that if a person waits until he or she feels ready to have children, it will never happen. When the baby arrives, parents make the necessary changes to their lives, and grow into the job.

And grow they do. Many exemplary parents have admitted that they always had doubts about whether they were raising their children correctly, riding that invisible line between protection and permissiveness. They struggled with the decision between keeping their children from making the same mistakes they made, or letting the children make their own mistakes in hopes that they will help the children better understand the relationship between actions and consequences.

Of course, there is no set answer for such questions; children are all different, and require their own, personalized attention from their parents. There is no single formula for how to be the perfect mother. And yet, without such guidance, mothers all over the world succeed in raising honest, responsible children who become exemplary adults.

Fortunately, many people grow to appreciate the sacrifices their mothers made for their benefit, even as the mothers insist they feel joy for having done their job.

We trust that they’re being honest, that they feel fulfilled at seeing the results of their dedication and guidance — even if they didn’t believe they were ready for children at the time.

It’s been said that there is a special place in heaven for mothers. There should be — they deserve it. This special day is for them — and they deserve more.