Hey Mama!

Hey Mama!

Je T’aime

Te amoYa ti-bya lyu blyuAni o hev ot chaI love you

The sounds are all as differentAs the lands from which they cameAnd though the words are all uniqueOur hearts are still the same

Love in any languageStraight from the heartPulls us all togetherNever apartAnd once we learn to speak itAll the world will hearLove in any languageFluently spoken here

Indeed, the past weekend was not only filled with love flowing through relationships of all kinds but more specifically, motherly relations and motherhood. Love was demonstrated generally for biological mothers. On May 12, 2024, professed mothers, whether by adaptation, guardianship, a neighbour, teacher or compassionate community member who decides to care for a child as his or her own, might have been the beneficiary of this fluently spoken language.

Mother, mama, mummy, mum, mom, ma (ENGLISH); mamma, mammina (ITALIAN); maman, mere (FRENCH); Moder, moer (DUTCH); mama, mami, mutti, mutter (GERMAN); Anne (TURKISH); Bunda, mama, Ibu, ‘bu (INDONESIA); Maan, Maji (HINDI); Okaasan, mama, Haha (JAPANESE); Eomma, Eomeoni, Eomeonim (KOREAN);  Me (Vietnamese); Mama (Swahili); Mama, mamón, mamula, mamuska , mamcik, matula (POLISH); Mor, morsa, mama (SWEDISH); and Madre, mami, mama. I have cited only 15 languages. We see the varied ways in which we can refer to and affectionately call the person we deem as our mom. However, of the 15 languages, 10 refer to mother as mama. Now, whether it is mama with the single or double m, or single m and an n at the end, mama seems to be a common affectionate name for mother.

We have established how people hail, call or refer to their mom in several languages. We have established a common affectionate word for our dear mom. We have also established who wears this hat “mom”. However, which role are you playing as a mother, biologically or otherwise? The role of a mother is never an easy or clear cut one; but this week while at a youth meeting discussing some cool things for which they could express gratitude to their mothers, a teenager made it clear privately that he had lost his mother several years ago and would prefer not to join in the hype about mothers’ day. At a loss, I tried to muster the words to convey a balanced thought: one that was neither sad nor happy about what the young man had just said. I let him know that it was appropriate to display how he feels provided he was respectful. I asked how he was feeling then, and whether he wanted me to listen to anything else he might have wanted to express. Sure enough he had quite some more grief and concerns to unload and my role in that moment was to be a good listener. Nothing more. I listened keenly, leaned in and continued to nod “hmm mmm”. He seemed relieved to have shared his thoughts with me. I, who had planned to inform him that I too, grew up without a biological mom yet fared well, because of a purposeful life, just allowed the young man to end the conversation promising to be lend a listening ear when and if he so felt the need to share again.

Pleased about assuming that important role as a listener, I wonder what role or roles you are playing he lives young people, particularly the ones who truly seek a mother figure. How meaningful is this role to you? Whether we are holding the hands of our biological or foster children or holding things together like buttons, the important roles of a mother can never be overemphasized. So, my question are: if you were to describe or refer to your mom affectionately without the use of “mama”, what would it be? How do you feel when the roles of a mother are trivialized, overlooked or underestimated?

Dr. Hamilton