"Mama" is a Universal Word

Every culture has a form of the word“mama” in it’s language -– the mmm sound, followed by a vowel that means "mother". How uncanny! And fitting. After all, the experience of mothering is universal in so many ways. While every child is unique and individual, children will be children. Sometimes, this truth is to our delight, other times, to our dismay.

Either way, we experience many of the same stages of development and watch our children reach similar milestones. Both happen at varying times for each child with individual shadings and amplitudes, but, often times, the commonalities between us outweigh our differences.

Despite our commonalities, moms generally connect around them after the fact. The moments worthy of sharing happen first between mama and child, intimate and one-one-one. A beautiful thing, for sure, but potentially isolating as well.

I think that’s one of the reasons we all like being part of the mom blogger community. We read each other’s posts looking for that “I KNOW!” feeling. We seek validation that our experience is shared by moms around the world. We may not have exactly the same experience or always agree with each other’s solutions or parenting philosophies, but, one way or another, we can relate to the many trials, tribulations, and triumphs of raising children.

Tell me who among you hasn't felt the hand of the writer coming through the computer and touching you in that unique mom place in your heart? Who has not laughed so hard at something you’re reading that your significant other just had to know what’s so funny?

So many writers have struck a chord with me, lightened my mood, made me feel understood or less alone. In fact, I learned the amazing tidbit about the universality of the word "mama" from my blogger friend, Therese. Then, there's Katia and her post about our dreams and expectations for our kids. Kristi’s post about feeling the fleeting nature of youth. Jean’s about negotiating the tricky, unwritten rules of the playground.  Stephanie’s about those times when mommy guilt rears its ugly head. Deb’s about the many ways that toddlers can drive you insane.

So many, alas, I'm leaving so many out! I have just scratched the surface of the many moms who have had me nodding, laughing or crying. Sometimes all three. The connection I have felt to each one of them has been invaluable to me as a mom. On a particularly hard day, it's the only thing that has kept me going!

I started thinking about the connections between moms because of Taming The Goblin. I’ve looked forward to reading post by my mom blogger friend "The Monko" every Sunday for all of the reasons I've mentioned above. Then, she asked me to consider co-hosting the Sunday Parenting Party link-up, along with her and several other terrific bloggers. I was honored and excited, because SPP is a hop specifically for posts about parenting issues, advice and experiences (see description below) and a great place to connect with like-minded writers. So...welcome to the Sunday Parenting Party! I do hope you will link a parenting post. I'm so glad to be part of the SPP community and hope you will be too!

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Welcome to The Sunday Parenting Party, hosted by Dirt and Boogers, Play Activities, Crayon Freckles, Taming the Goblin, The Golden Gleam, Prickly Mom, and The Tao of Poop. The SPP is place for readers to find ideas on nurturing, educating, and caring for children, as well as honest posts about the stresses of being a parent or caregiver. Links to reviews and giveaways are welcome as long as they are relevant to the topic. All parenting philosophies are welcome with one exception: please do not link to posts promoting physical discipline, as this is something we would feel uncomfortable having on our blogs. (P.S. By linking up you agree that your post and photos are Pinterest, Sulia, G+ and FB friendly. We will be showcasing ideas on The Sunday Parenting Party Pinterest board.)

 

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