Although mothers (the good, honorable, decent ones) should be honored every day for the wonderful service they provide to their children, and thus to society, they are especially celebrated in May on Mother’s Day. I know I am grateful for my mother, and love her. She provided such a strong, sure foundation for my sister and me.
Mother’s Day, admittedly, can be difficult for the women who have never had children through differing circumstances, although they yearn for them. These women still can have a far-reaching positive effect on children. Animals can teach us about this.
Elephants, bless their hearts, are pregnant for 22 months. They then deliver the world’s largest babies; elephant babies are about 250 pounds at birth. Baby elephants are blind at birth, and are completely dependent on their mothers. Their mothers, however, receive a lot of help from the female elephants in the herd. These elephants that support the mother are actually called “allmothers.” They provide care for the babies when the mothers are working to eat as much as possible so she can make lots of milk for her large baby.
Cows are very maternal, even though they may not have given birth to a calf. One witness saw a newborn calf sliding down a slope. Six cows answered the mother’s cry for help, and stood in line to keep the calf from sliding. They even stayed to lick the calf clean.
Animal mothers can teach us wonderful lessons about how to raise our young, but we can also learn additional lessons of nurturing from those animals that nurture and protect other mothers’ babies.