Most of us, at some point in life, have heard people define motherhood in very specific ways like giving birth, raising children of your own, building a family that carries your name forward. And while there is absolutely beauty in that journey, over the years, I have realised that motherhood is also so much bigger than biology.

Sometimes, motherhood is simply the ability to hold space for someone else’s pain; sometimes, it is staying back after a long day because a child wanted to talk a little more; sometimes, it is remembering which young person is struggling silently, who needs encouragement before an exam, who pretends to be fine but really is not.

And honestly, when I look around at our teams in Miracle Foundation India and across all our partner organizations, I see this version of motherhood everywhere.

I see it in the counsellors who become the safest adults in a child’s life; I see it in the social workers who fight fiercely for every child’s right to belong to a family; I see it in the mentors who answer calls late at night because a youth somewhere needed reassurance; I see it in the caregivers who celebrate tiny victories that nobody else notices; I see it in the people who remember birthdays, fears, favourite foods, dreams and even the emotional triggers of children who are not theirs by blood but are theirs by heart.

And maybe that is what parenting truly is – not possession, not control, not biology but simply being present consistently.

Working in the development sector has changed my understanding of family in the most beautiful way possible. Over the years, I have met children and youth who carry unimaginable stories within them, stories of loss, abandonment, separation, violence, survival, resilience and during this journey, I have also seen ordinary professionals become extraordinary parental figures without ever formally carrying that title..

A child does not always remember the policy you drafted; a youth may never fully understand the reports, meetings or systems you worked on but they do and will always remember how you made them feel. They remember who listened, who stayed, who believed in them when they had stopped believing in themselves. And precisely that kind of care leaves a lifelong imprint.

This Mother’s Day month, I find myself celebrating not just mothers in the traditional sense, but every person in our ecosystem who continues to nurture children and youth with patience, dignity and compassion.

To every team member, every partner organization, every caregiver, counsellor, mentor, trainer, social worker and teacher – thank you for mothering this world in your own way because sometimes, the most powerful form of motherhood is simply choosing, every single day, to care deeply for lives that are not obligated to love you back… and still loving them wholeheartedly anyway.

Author: Sumeena Sawhney, Manager, Government Partnerships & Strategic Alliances, Miracle Foundation India

The views expressed in the article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of Miracle Foundation India