A mother (or mum/mom) is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that united with a sperm which grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally acceptable definition for the term. The male equivalent is a father.
Read more about Mother: Etymology, Biological Mother, Non-biological Mother, Motherhood in Same-sex Relationships, Social Role, Heath and Safety Issues, Religious, Mother-offspring Conflict, Mothers in Art, Synonyms and Translations, Famous Motherhood Figures
Famous quotes containing the word mother:
“My mother said that I never should
Play with the gypsies in the wood,”
—Unknown. Gypsies in the Wood (l. 1–2)
“There was a young monk from Siberia
Whose morals were very inferior.
He did to a nun
What he shouldn’t have done
And now she’s a Mother Superior.”
—Anonymous.
“However, it can’t be helped; mothers, if they do their job properly, are the representatives of the hard, demanding world and it is they who gradually introduce reality which is so often the enemy of impulse. There is anger with mother and hatred is somewhere even when there is absolutely no doubt of love that is mixed with adoration.”
—D.W. Winnicott (20th century)