Spit-up On My Shoulder

A great book on how mothers can take better care of themselves is Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Jan Hanson, M.S., L.Ac., and Ricki Pollycove, M.D.

Rick kindly agreed to share the list below with you from the Mother Nurture newsletter.

10 Reasons to Take Good Care of a Mother

1. She’s a person - Every human being deserves a chance to be happy and healthy.

2. Her cupboard was already pretty bare - Before their first pregnancy, most mothers didn’t consume all the recommended vitamins and minerals. Those shelves need re-stocking.

3. Her body’s carried a big load - Taken as a whole, pregnancy, childbirth, nursing, and weaning are the most physically demanding activities most people will ever do. Big outputs require big inputs.

4. She does hard work - Studies show that raising young children is more stressful than most jobs. Any kind of demanding work calls for respite and replenishment.

5. She contributes to others - Mothers get worn out not because they’ve been eating bon-bons, but because every day, for twenty years or more, they’ve been making a family for innocent and precious children. Their giving gives them moral standing, a valid claim on society’s care.

6. It’s good for the children - A mother’s well-being affects her children in a thousand ways, and shapes the course of their entire lives. The best way to take good care of children is to take good care of their mothers.

7. It’s good for her partner - A mother is more able to be even-tempered, affectionate, and loving with her mate when he is an active co-parent, shares the load fairly, and is just plain nice. It’s enlightened self-interest for a mother’s partner to take good care of her.

8. It’s good for the marriage - Mothers who are well-nurtured and have supportive partners are much more likely to stay happily married than those who do not. Besides the rewards for children and their parents, lasting marriages benefit society in many ways, such as bringing stability to communities and fostering respect for family.

9. It helps the economy - Maternal stress and depletion increase the nation’s medical costs, and they decrease workforce productivity. These are public health problems, and addressing them would add hundreds of billions of dollars each year to our economy (with related benefits to tax revenues).

10. It’s good for society - A culture that takes a stand for families by respecting and supporting the mothers at their center will be more humane and decent for everyone.

And a bonus reason: Being compassionate, considerate, and generous with a mother feels good in itself. It is also a deep form of spiritual practice to “love your neighbor as yourself” - even the one sitting with you at the dining room table.

Visit the Mother Nurture website by clicking here. You can email the Hansons questions or comments at info@nurturemom.com; unfortunately, a personal reply may not always be possible.