Mother Bear

 

How A female bear nurtures her cubs? They are born in hibernation. This duration is five months long; from November to April. There is no food stored beforehand. As its snow all around them, she can't go out and leave the infants alone. She breastfeeds them even though she hasn't eaten for days even months. Yet she nurtures them with all she can muster. We would question; how does she feed them then? God has designed her biologicalsystem in such a wonderful way that her body fat melts and turns into milk for the newborns. For five months she feeds them and stays in the cave with her babies.

Spring comes. The snow melts into rivers. Mother bear comes out of the cave with her babies. They have to climb down the steep cliff. It is very tough for the li'l ones. Yet it is inherent in them to follow the footsteps of their mother. They step where mother left the mark. She keeps looking back to ensure they are coming behind her. The family climbs down successfully.

The streams are full of fish. Curious babies hobble near to them. But they have no clue what to do. The mother fishes and feeds them one by one. She is starving herself, yet, eats only when she has ensured that the babies are full. This is where she also protects them from father as the patriarch tends to eat his own offspring.

When babies have learned to protect and feed themselves, the mother is satisfied enough to leave them in the jungle and moves on. She has done a good job in raising them. The cubs will grow into strong bears and live how their mother taught them. And the cycle will continue.

These are precious lessons that can be incorporated in our lives. Yes, we must learn from nature. Today, we question: why should only a mother look after children? We talk about sharing the burden. We talk about equality. Im not denying the fact that fathers have no role to play in children's upbringing or they should not play their part. What I mean is a father cannot replace a mother's role. God has made everything unique. Everybody in this world is born with a responsibility or a key role to play. If we deny/ignore it then the balance tips and everything crumbles down. Likewise, mothers have special role in the universe. They are formidable. They have strengths one just cannot comprehend. Motherhood is astounding. Woman's mind remodels itself when she becomes a mother. Its instinctual to mothers to protect the young from possible dangers. And the rewiring gives her a sixth sense to feel the danger before it presents itself. It cannot surpass any power in this world. When a mother truly realizes her power and utilizes it, she has done wonders in this world. There are many examples. Powerful individuals came from strong mothers.

In her review of the psychological mechanisms of motherhood, Rebecca M. Fischer, a student researcher at the University of Richmond, found that mothers are “biologically driven to protect, care for and motivate their children to succeed.”

George Washington apocryphally observed that “all I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

"My mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier you'll be a general; if you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."—Pablo Picasso

"My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors." – Maya Angelou

The deep lessons a mother bear teaches to us humans cannot be ignored. Her intelligence and patience while rearing her Cubs in the jungle must be taken into account especially in today's world where child rearing has become a great challenge for parents.