By: Chat Garrido-Ocampo /Senior Consultant, Apricus Public Relations and Communication Services
THEY say the heart of a woman, especially that of a mother, is so deep and so strong that you can never know how much it can hold and what it can endure.
Whenever the Women’s Month of March comes, much is written about successful career women, including mothers in the workplace. A quick scan of social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn will easily confirm this.
However, the workplace is not the only place where women shine and where they successfully contribute to the fullest of their abilities. In fact, I dare say, women truly shine best in their own turf, which are their very own homes where they make sure everything is in order and everyone is fine even if they are not.
I think of self-employed women who after having logged long productive hours still have to work in the kitchen to ensure that the family eat good nutritious meals. I think of mothers who despite being able to earn has learned not to spend on themselves to ensure the comfort, and more importantly, the future of their children. I further think of mothers who intentionally brush aside their own needs to be able to better attend to the needs of their children.
I think of mothers of single-income families who do the heroic act of stretching the income of their husbands to cover all of their family’s needs. I also think of daughters who left careers to take care of elderly parents. I think of mothers and daughters who sacrifice their “me time” for family time to ensure their family’s physical and psychological well-being.
Further, I think of the struggling single mothers who bravely and lovingly try to provide for their children in however way they can because there is no one else to help. Finally, I think of widows who valiantly set aside their grief because life has to continue for their children even when their own world has already crumbled.
At the workplace, all women- whether mothers, daughters or widows- are celebrated on women’s day. They also have a band of sisters in the persons of their female work colleagues to celebrate women’s day with. Sadly, this is not always the case for the self-employed mothers or even stay at home moms and daughters who may have no workplaces yet remain productive and who make loads of sacrifices for their families. No one will celebrate them and with them during Women’s Month but their families. Hopefully the latter remember and make time to do so. Otherwise, we have right under our noses unsung heroes who give so much but who are not appreciated or recognized.
Let Women’s Month and Women’s Day be a time for everyone to honor all women whose efforts may have been brushed aside and who are not celebrated at this special time of the year. It is indeed the time to honor the contributions of all women and not only those at the workplace whose contributions can be measured and whose achievements are recognized. Let’s also make sure that we celebrate the meaningful achievements of daughters and mothers who may not have careers but who have sacrificed so much for their families, friends and loved ones. These are women whose efforts are equally heroic. These are women who despite the challenges, endure.
