INSPIRING MOMS!
Last week, we talked about an inspirational woman and mother, Allyson Felix, who broke Usain Bolt’s record after winning her 12th gold medal at the World Championships on the mixed-gender relay team. What’s significant is that she achieved this victory just ten months after she delivered her baby. Closer to home, celebrated Indian Olympic boxer from Manipur, Mary Kom, is another such inspirational woman and mother. Mary Kom is the only woman to become a World Amateur Boxing champion for a record six times! After her marriage, she took a short hiatus from boxing. The whole world, including her coach, was disappointed that she didn’t pursue her dreams and instead chose to become a homemaker. However, after she and husband Ongler had their first two children, Kom started training again. Soon, Mary Kom came back with a bang and won the silver medal at the Asian Women’s Boxing 2008 and the bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
Mary Kom’s story highlights that being a mother doesn’t stop a woman from achieving her dreams. Motherhood shouldn’t be a handicap, instead it should make you stronger. Mary Kom is a perfect example for all mothers out there waiting to fulfill their dreams.
My dear readers, I wish that you realise that being a mother doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams. Having a baby shouldn’t be something that holds you back, as a sacrifice of your dreams and identity; in fact, it should be a catalyst to move forward, as the reason to go after your dreams. Having children might shuffle your priorities, but with a little effort and reimagining, you can fit your children into your dreams and make your dreams fit your life as a mother. What’s more, chasing your dreams may actually inspire your little ones to have the confidence and courage to pursue their own dreams as well. So my dear mothers, it is never too late to dream on!
It means a lot to me to have two kids who support my ambition to change perceptions of women. As moms, we have a unique opportunity to keep changing this attitude that ambition is an ugly quality in women. — Reese Witherspoon