Mother
In the case of a
mammal such as a
human, the biological mother
gestates her child (called first an
embryo, then a
fetus) in the
womb from
conception until the fetus is sufficiently well-developed to be born. The mother then goes into labour and gives
birth. Once the child is born, the mother produces
milk to feed the child.
In non-sexual organisms, "mother" can sometimes be used to mean "parent"; in the case of single-celled organisms that reproduce by fission, the mother is a cell that divides to produce "daughters".
Mothers typically have a very important role in raising children, and the title mother can be given to a woman other than a biological parent who fills this role. This is most commonly either an
adoptive parent or a
stepmother (the wife of a child's
father). The term can also refer to a person with stereotypical traits of a mother.
Mothers are celebrated yearly, on
Mother's Day, in many countries around the world. In many branches of
Christianity, the
Virgin Mary is also celebrated as the
Mother of God.
"Mum"/"mummy", "Mom"/"mommy", "mama" and "ma" are some familiar or colloquial words for a mother. In many south Asian cultures, the mother is known as "Amma" or "Oma" or "Ammi", or variations thereof. The "M" sound seems to be universal to the word mother in many different languages.
[wiktionary:mother] Many times these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child's life.
In some societies,
single motherhood, the state of an unmarried mother, has been treated as a serious social issue.
*
Mary Jacobus,
First things : the maternal imaginary in literature, art, and psychoanalysis, New York [u.a.] : Routlege, 1995
*
Adrienne Rich,
Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution, Virago Press 1995
*
List of songs about mothers*
Surrogate mother*
Mother Nature,
Mother goddess,
Mother (neopaganism),
Mother Earth,
Great Mother,
Gaia (mythology),
Mother Motherland*
Mary, mother of Jesus
*
MotherBlogs.net - Free blog service for mothers and pregnant womennds-nl:Moor
