My tribute to love

I know that my blog is usually devoted to the discussion of books, but I am going to diverge from this topic for the time being.....(what you are reading I submitted as an entry for the February write-away contest at http://scribbit.blogspot.com/)

A Mother's Love
Love is a word that is often thrown around in a variety of contexts. Love is discussed in movies, books, diaries, on television and within the confines of a romantic relationship. Since becoming a mother, however, I have discovered a love that is unconditional, uncompromising, unpredictable and admittingly frustrating at times. A love a mother has for her child is unique and completely unexpected. It is a love that has no boundaries, limitations or expectations. We cannot expect a newborn baby to say "I love you" back to us in the usual terms. However, it is in the simple touch, a sudden smile and in a baby's vulnerability, that daily we come to discover how much we are loved.

At times a mother's love for her child can be fraught with insecurities, frustrations and feelings of helplessness. Daily, we ask ourselves if we are doing everything right, we seek validation and encouragement. However, love is constantly present when we're breastfeeding and satiating our little one's hunger, when we're rocking our baby to sleep and when we're down on the floor singing and playing with our baby, the list is virtually endless.

There are no boundaries or limitations to the love a mother has for her newborn. The love comes from a desire to provide the best possible life for our child. We never want our child to suffer pain, go hungry, be rejected or see the harsh and dreadful realities that all too often comprise the human experience. But part of love is the ability to let go. As a parent we have to let our children fall so that they can learn to walk, let them cry so that they learn to self-soothe and be left alone to think and feel on their own. To love is not to ensnare but to set free.

As my baby boy continues to grow both intellectually, physically and emotionally I cannot wait for the love I have for him to continually change. Love is not stagnant but constantly redefining itself like the ebb and flow of the tide. Someday he will leave home and he may become the father of his own baby whom he will love. Our love will change as he becomes more independent and self-sufficient. Someday I will probably rely on him for the things I now do for him. However, the bottom line is that I am proud to be a mother and I love my baby boy

Dedicated to Jacob-the baby boy that I love to love