Mothers, Mentors, and the Women We Become

Mothering is defined as more than raising children, described as a sacred act of tending life through compassion, protection, encouragement, truth, nourishment, and presence. Women are portrayed as mothering families, communities, friendships, dreams, and themselves through loss and renewal, with mothering seen as unconditional love. A monthly women’s circle is framed as a sanctuary for remembrance and renewal where every voice matters. Participants reflect on childhood influences and the women who inspired or mothered them, often identifying their mothers as models to emulate. Some participants carry a “mother wound,” described as attachment trauma linked to an emotionally absent, unavailable, or overly critical mother.

"Mothering is more than raising children. It is the sacred act of tending life itself -offering compassion, protection, encouragement, truth, nourishment, and presence. Most women have mothered families, communities, friendships, dreams, and even ourselves through times of loss and renewal. The spirit of mothering lives in every woman who has allowed another soul to grow. No two mothering journeys are alike, and motherhood is often considered one of the purest forms of unconditional love."

"I began the two-hour session by explaining that I created the sacred circle as a place of remembrance and renewal. I reminded them that every voice mattered and that every laugh line, heartbreak, triumph, and transformation belongs. I said that together, we'd honor the wisdom of elderhood, the power of feminine community, and the enduring sacred work of mothering one another. I then shared an invocation: "This circle is a sanctuary of truth, belonging, courage, and grace.""

"I asked participants to reflect back on their childhoods and think about the women who inspired or mothered them. Everyone spoke very openly and transparently. The majority of the participants claimed that their mother was the one who inspired, mothered, or loved them in a way that they wanted to emulate."

"For others in the group, there were no words, and the assumption was that they had been nurturing a mother wound, a form of attachment trauma due to an emotionally absent, unavailable, or overly critical"

Read at Psychology Today