Active Motherhood

      How to combine professional activity with the role of mother

      Every year at the end of November our country celebrates Mother's Day — a festive date aimed at strengthening family traditions and increasing respect for motherhood. This day reminds us of the importance of women's labor, patience and responsibility, which form the foundation of raising future generations. Sometimes a mother's love becomes a public mission.

      Mother — an example for her child

      Victoria Nikolaeva, chair of the Dzerzhinsk City Duma of the VII and VIII convocations:

      – The role of a mother is the most important in a woman's life. The happiest moment for every mother is the birth of her baby. Those emotions cannot be forgotten. It is a great joy to experience them!

      Circumstances vary, but I believe every woman should feel the joy of motherhood. Women give life to a new person and fill it with knowledge, offering advice necessary for their children's dignified future. That is her main purpose. A woman's essence as a mother lies in established traditions, personal examples of upbringing, skills, the ability to love and be a reliable companion in life. A mother passes all her feminine wisdom to her child — the line continues, and a harmonious society is created.

      With the birth of my first child my sense of responsibility for my actions changed. As a child and adolescent I was sometimes held back by the thought, “what will my parents say about this,” but after I became a mother I began to ask myself: how will I later explain this to my son? This mindset protected me from thoughtless decisions and careless steps. My sense of duty increased many times — what example will I be for my child?

      When you are responsible for someone close to you, you begin to treat strangers with more compassion. First I learned these responsibilities from my parents, then I tried to pass them on as fully as possible to my sons. I was certainly fortunate with my children: they always understood and supported me if I encountered difficulties. We are still on the same wavelength. We rejoice in each other's achievements together. In general, I believe that every child's success — the first step and first word, performances in kindergarten and certificates from competitions, first grades and graduation from school — is happiness for a mother. Everyone has moments in memory that move them to tears.

      Of course, motherhood leaves its mark on professional activity as well. You begin to look more closely at laws aimed at supporting mothers with children, for example, those concerning the decision to have a baby or provision of housing. If a woman has a place to build her nest, to create comfort and conditions to raise a child, then in most cases I think her decision to have a baby will be positive.

      A mother lives for the benefit of her children

      Arpine Poghosyan, director of the Department of Social Policy of the Dzerzhinsk city administration:

      – I have two sons, four and nine years old, so I believe that being a mother is hard work, daily care, the family hearth and coziness at home. A mother's love is all-consuming; for nine months two hearts beat together, and then one of them invisibly remains close, until old age. Although, in my opinion, a mother has no age.

      With the birth of children a woman changes completely. When maternal feelings have not yet fully unfolded, it often seems that a child requires too much attention and time. Yet there is an amazing regularity: the more children in a family, the more time a mother finds to communicate with them. Through this communication the mother herself develops, discovers new interesting routes for walks. With my sons I live through their emotions; after all, we are also children, but of a different generation. As a mother, I understand there is nothing more important than parental love, so we have our clear traditions: a daily dinner at the common table where everyone tells how their day went, and mandatory evening hugs — what would we do without them!

      I learned a lot in upbringing from my parents — their example became my support in raising my children: how to interact with peers, how to respect elders, how to love, how to value the motherland. All these values are passed to children primarily through our own behavior. And the mother in all cases is a guide and defining factor.

      Our children are our future, so everything we do we do with an eye to tomorrow. They will live in that tomorrow, and what kind of life it will be depends on us. In my professional activity, which is directly connected with motherhood, I try to focus on preventing social orphanhood and neglect. We live and work for the good of children! If I had the opportunity to pass a law at the federal level, it would be devoted to social responsibility for creating families — and such that a family would have at least three children.

      Our task is to support and develop a conscious approach among parents to creating families. It is enormous work to provide a child with an education and raise them to be a patriot of the country.

      The mother is where the homeland begins

      Nina Aranovich, director of the Oka Sports and Recreation Center (FOK "Oka"):

      – In my view, the calling of any mother is to raise a worthy next generation, one she can be proud of, which will help our society and our country. My son is not yet five, but we actively take part in various events suitable for his age that clearly demonstrate how important it is to be with your country. I believe that the homeland begins with the mother.

      A mother can teach everything good and bright by her own example, so it is important to spend as much time as possible with the child. I introduce my son to sports: we run together in "Ski Track of Russia," we participate in the "Nation's Run." In such large-scale events unity and cohesion are vividly shown. I support all-round development, so my son has a daily routine that includes a cultural component — for vocal lessons.

      Children need to be taught that time should be spent wisely: every minute should be beneficial to themselves and those close to them. Our parents taught my brother and me this. It personally benefited me. To achieve some success you must work hard. Our childhood was spent in classes and clubs, and despite their busy work schedules, our parents could take us on business trips. Now my son is going through this stage. He can often be seen with me at large events. That gives us time to be together and talk despite my busy work schedule.

      My mother always taught my brother and me mutual assistance and support, and we have carried that warmth and closeness through the years. We still have traditions of celebrating family holidays together. You feel unity in that too.

      Of course, I would like the state to pay more attention to issues related to motherhood and childhood. Maybe it's worth considering a shortened workday for mothers or the option of always granting leave in the summer. It would be nice to open themed "Mother and Child" sessions in sanatoria and provide mothers with subsidized vouchers. There are indeed many directions, and each needs to be worked through.

      I want to say one thing: the joy of realizing you are a mother overwhelms you and smooths out all the difficult moments. If a day begins and ends with mutual smiles and compliments, then that day is not wasted!

      A mother will always come to help

      Yulia Lunyushkina, deputy of the Dzerzhinsk City Duma of the VII and VIII convocations:

      – Being a mother is a reason for happiness. Waking up in the morning and greeting your dear little one — what could be more touching and joyful? Mothers, more than anyone, understand what they live and work for. They know: their child's future depends on everything they do each day — whether work, household chores or upbringing. Therefore, in my professional activity I try to make Dzerzhinsk a city where future generations will want to live, return to after their studies and start their own families. So that every time a child leaves home they can look with joy at the world around them: clean streets, well-kept yards, safe playgrounds, green parks and cozy squares.

      Motherhood has supplemented my worldview with new meanings: on the one hand, you strive for a specific little person, and on the other — a new, special feeling of concern appears in you. I once heard a phrase about this and I agree with it: "A child is your heart that lives separately from you." But I do not mean to say that my daughter is under constant control. I try to give her choices, offer advice, and tactfully guide her in the right direction. Children are our mirror, so the principles of upbringing always start with the adults. I believe that love and respect for the child are the basis of development.

      My daughter is a typical teenager, and sometimes she shares her girlish secrets with me. I always try to find time for heartfelt conversations. Of course, given my busy schedule, there is not that much time. At major city events where my presence is required, we are often together: on Victory Day we always come to the Heroes' Square to the Eternal Flame; on City Day we visit interesting venues, concerts, and exhibitions — we try to use that time both for cultural enrichment and for communication.

      Motherhood is an endless source of joy. Although sometimes difficulties arise. For example, accepting a child's point of view without strong arguments. Children's worldview differs from ours. What can I say — they grew up in a different country, so they think differently! Most often they do not agree with our logical arguments, and we adults are mostly locked into habitual notions. Children give us the opportunity to look at a problem from another angle. My door is open to my child, and my daughter knows this. I will always come to help, whatever problem she brings to me.

      Much is being done in the country to ease motherhood, but in my opinion some support measures are still lacking. If I had the chance to pass a law that would radically improve the lives of mothers and children, it would be aimed at supporting women during maternity leave. It's wonderful when a child is long-awaited and born into a complete family where the father bears part of the expenses. But I think every woman who decides to become a mother deserves not to worry about money: confidence in tomorrow should be her constant companion until she returns to work.

      Mother — best friend

      Ekaterina Strizhova, deputy of the Dzerzhinsk City Duma of the VI, VII and VIII convocations:

      – My son is 14, and now he is in a difficult adolescent period. I believe you should be not only a mother to your children but also a good friend who hears and understands children's problems. It is especially important for a family that there be no psychological barriers between parents and children. And more often it is the mother who becomes the person to first build that bond of trust and understanding. The home's microclimate depends on her wisdom, leniency and flexibility.

      Of course, "the job of being a mom" is very responsible and inevitably brings difficulties, but they all seem insignificant when you are doing a common cause. For example, we raise our dogs together, walk the animals in the woods and jointly choose their food and treats. I give my son opportunities for all-round development. We try to find time for sports — we go to the pool together.

      The greatest joy for any mother is her child's achievements. I see how my son rejoices in his accomplishments, and I rejoice with him — that is maternal happiness. Modern teenagers strive to make decisions independently; they don't want to depend on parents or other adults. That is why my son has already begun to take an interest in choosing a future profession; he frequently participates in events at the Entrepreneurship Development Center, which I head.

      If I had the opportunity to improve life for mothers, I would focus on developing female entrepreneurship. This topic is close to me. By the way, such support exists for mother-entrepreneurs in our center. Women successfully combine the roles of mother and businesswoman. Their approach to running a business is very different from that of men. Women leaders know how to allocate resources properly so that neither the family nor the business suffers.

      Prepared by Olga SERYOGINA. Photos from the editorial archive.