How does motherhood define my self-worth? (Quiz)

Motherhood is undeniably the epitome of the agony and the ecstasy. If you’re a mother, indulge yourself with some well-deserved pats on the back, and acknowledge the fact that motherhood is a tough but highly rewarding endeavor. The gratification you receive when your children are happy and healthy is hard to quantify–but many women claim such gratification as the hallmark of their personal worth. Please take a moment to answer the following questions to clarify for yourself how you perceive this role in your own life.

Does being a mother add to my sense of self-worth? Do I feel fulfilled in my role as a mother?

Did my parenting skills evolve naturally? What would I do differently?

Does my spouse/partner take an active role in the parenting of our children? If not, why not?

Am I prepared to allow my children to differentiate away from me? What can I do to get ready for that transition?

Am I engaged with other family members and friends–especially my girlfriends?

Do I communicate my needs to family and friends?

Do I participate in activities that are for and about me?

What do I do to keep my relationship with my spouse or partner on track and to keep my couple connection strong?

Respect yourself and other mothers for the enormously important job of nurturing the future caretakers of our planet, and accept praise from all of us for your invaluable participation in the circle of life.

Ready to asses your self-worth? Post your intent and blog about your journey, tagging your posts “self worth” We may feature your post in this series! Just joining the series? Start from the beginning of Cheryl Saban’s 2 week guide for women to define their own self-worth, take responsibility for it and then to pass it on to others.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Mari '.

5:43AM PDT on Sep 21, 2010

Moms are so under rated it's so sad this world of today...

send a green star

Claire N.

4:19PM PDT on Aug 30, 2010

As I was reading this, I was thinking about how NOT being a mother defines my sense of self worth. I am not completely at peace with my husband's and my decision not to have children. The more my family and friends emphasize how great it is to be a mom, the more alienated and rejected I feel.

Aimee O.

8:56PM PST on Dec 13, 2009

I am not a mother per-say but I do have 6 mouths 2 feed & clean up after. I do see the difference between my sisters & myself but do not think I am cut out for being a mother nor do I think I've met a man that deserves that chance!

Past Member .

10:21AM PDT on Jun 19, 2009

thankyou...
Kabin
Konteyner
mega kabin

Lydia S.

9:24PM PDT on Jun 14, 2009

Again, Cecily, this is still a very simplistic look at the population figures. Is this due to "high birth rates" by ALL US born citizens, or perhaps an influx of immigration, with certain groups reproducing at different, higher rates, while others choose to have only one or two?

http://www.thelangreport.com/political-commentary/the-browning-of-america-the-melting-pot-boils-over-part1/.

I don't doubt that population has increased since 1960 -- 49 years ago, but there is more to this figure than meets the eye.

http://www.time.com/time/search/article/0,8599,53774,00.html

In any case, this thread was supposed to be about motherhood & how it defines us as women, so I will not continue discussing populations, as this is off topic.

How many children one has is a matter of PERSONAL choice & therefore, not my business. That is my personal opinion.

cecily w.

10:10PM PDT on Jun 13, 2009

Lydia, the population of the U.S. in 1960 was 180 million, today it has surpassed 300 million, and the U.S. Census Bureau projects a U.S. population of 439 million by the year 2050. Feel free to confirm this at census.gov.

7:52PM PDT on Jun 13, 2009

Cecily said: "For one thing, our population is burgeoning and a 40% increase is projected for 2050."

No, "OUR" population is not burgeoning ... the population is increasing in Africa, Asia, Muslim countries, & in Hispanic cultures.

In those regions, their population is not only unsustainable, it is unfortunately, counter productive, as often, 8 out of 10 children don't make it to age 5!

In Western countries, people are not even replacing themselves ... Japan is a "graying" country, with not enough young people to replace the aging work force.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Japan

http://geography.about.com/cs/worldpopulation/a/mostpopulous.htm

http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/russiapop.htm

There's a whole lot more to this picture -- simplifying such complex demographics isn't accurate.

Heather B.

7:09PM PDT on Jun 12, 2009

Thank you For this it was WONDERFUL....

I dont see why so many twisted into something nasty!
Grow Up, Not EVERYTHING is a debate.

4:37AM PDT on Jun 10, 2009

If you're a mother, your children do factor into who you are BUT you're short-changing your children if child-related aspects are all that you are. For one thing, our population is burgeoning and a 40% increase is projected for 2050. So if you have more than two (the reason is in the math), you're teaching your children that it's okay to ignore consequences. For another, if you are not employed and contributing to your own social security for at least 25 years, you're showing your children that it's okay to let workers support you in your old age.

Susan D.

2:28AM PDT on Jun 10, 2009

I'm not a mother but have never heard that some women seriously feel their "self-worth" is defined, in full or in part, by motherhood. That would be sort of sad and rather archaic. It has been done many times in the past by millions of other women and will be done many more times in the future, nothing unique or exceptional there to calculate, negatively or positively, into "self worth." Although I guess those whose children behave as if they are being raised by wolves can deduct points.

So many factors define a woman, motherhood is simply one. I never thought I was "worth" any less or any more because I never wanted kids. Motherhood is just another lifestyle choice. Many do choose motherhood, many of us choose another path. Simple.