KEEPING THE FIRE BURNING

A mother’s day-to-day molding of children’s character and future

Thesis Statement: A mother should stay inside the house and nourish her
kids to be well-oriented, self-reliant and productive
individuals.

OUTLINE

I. Introduction
A. Definition of Motherhood
B. Purpose of Writing

II. Parenting
A. Roles of a Mother
1. Nurture her kids
a. Emotionally
b. Mentally
2. Nourish her kids
a. Physically
b. Mentally
B. Responsibilities of a Mother
1. First Teacher
2. Provider (basic needs)

III. Productive Individuals

A. Community
B. Society
C. Country

IV. Conclusion
KEEPING THE FIRE BURNING
A mother’s day-to-day molding of children’s character and future

Chryzalyn Mae L. Ysao

IV-St. Francis
St. Mary’s Academy
Dalaguete, Cebu

As a Jewish proverb says, “God could not be everywhere and therefore He made

mothers.'' This means that a mother shares God's attribute of omnipresence. Mother is

synonymous with responsibility. By and large they are the workers who do not have a

time-out on the field. Motherhood for everyone is learning on the job and there is no

formula for getting it right.

Having a successful life depends on the quality of a good mother. A good mother

is an epitome of love who exhibits her uniqueness, her patience, her being a treasurer and

her being a homemaker. Her words, actions and deeds are lessons of life that helps build

the family. A mother's patience includes constantly reminding her growing-up children to

keep their things in their proper places. Her patience serves as the family's strength. She

serves as the budget officer or treasurer. It is her discretion to distinguish basic needs

from wants. As her being the homemaker, she uses great uniqueness in managing,

decorating and maintaining her haven of love (the house).

 Motherhood should be a mandated job for the mother is the first teacher, provider

and molder of her children's values and characters. She accounts her day to day molding

of her children's character knowing all her efforts will bring rewards. A mother should

stay inside the house and nourish her kids to be well-oriented, self-reliant and productive

individuals.

Conversely, entering in the 21st century mothers tend to work outside the house

either to finance the family well or to grab such important part in the society. This paper

is to inform that the best vocation of a woman is being a stay-at-home mom. It is to

broaden the minds of the readers that rearing a child is not just a mere joke or a low

diversion to be underestimated. Commonly nowadays, motherhood is devalued as a non-

income producing occupation in spite of it's importance, and mother's are subject to

broaden-ranging criticism from the very obvious to the most subtle.

The author wants to broaden understanding that motherhood is the only work

without a time-out in the field. It is a school without graduation because a mother's

lessons change everyday and have to be absorbed well along with the development of her

child. She acts as the best model forever wherein the child tends to imitate her actions. To

top it all, a mother figure cannot be replaced by a father figure.

ROLES OF A MOTHER

Proverbs 22:6 in the Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and

when he is old, he will not depart from it”. This simply covers up parenting. Parenting is

referred to as child-tending behaviors of both mothers and father. The prospect of

parenthood is for many an exciting time full of expectation. But with parenthood comes

the responsibility of caring, nurturing and successfully raising your children. Parenthood

for everyone is learning on the job and there is no formula for getting it right.

A mother’s passion includes nurturing, nourishing and the greatest, parenting

alone. In nurturing and nourishing, she must consider the children’s need not only the

basic needs but the values and characters. In addition, she must cater her kid’s physical,

emotional, intellectual, social and moral well-beings.

Physically, the most simplistic requirements are the provision of food, shelter,

exercise, rest and clothing. We all knew that the provision of these basic needs is often

the focus of running a family and why some of our mothers tend to work outside the

house. However, it is important for the healthy physical development of a child that the

basics of a balanced diet, adequate sleep and physical exercises are provided.

Emotionally, children need to know that they have their parent’s love and support

to give them the confidence to act as an individual. This love and support is usually seen
by the child as a measure of their own self-worth and will translate across into their

ability to interact and express themselves and their emotions.

Mentally, a child’s curiosity and need to question should be actively encouraged

and the pursuit of knowledge should be an area where parents can become active and

show an interest by asking questions and listening to the child. It also allows a forum

whereby a child can learn to develop and voice their own opinions, giving them the

confidence to do so when challenged later in the quest of life.

The primary responsibility of nurturing a child rests with mothers. Nurturing a

child is not just a plain home work. As mothers, she should communicate to her children

what is good from what is bad. Emotionally, she must teach her children how to adjust

and embrace failures and success if there are any. She must let the child feel that she

loves and is thankful for having such child. She lets the child feel being loved and

delighted by the thought that she has someone to lean on, that is her mother. In that

manner the child can gain trust and affection then later tries her learning making

connections outside the house boundaries. But the best is to let them learn by example.

Mentally, a child becomes better if a mother encouraged and answered the child’s

questions. Through her presence and encouragements around, the child tends to develop

self-confidence, and self-reliance paired with a good self-esteem. A productive child can

learn to develop his or her intelligence and later voice out their own thinking making
them the future of the world.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A MOTHER

Responsible parenthood is defined as the involvement of providing the welfare

and well-being of her children through the provision of adequate love, care,

understanding, attention and affection.

The home is the first school of the child and definitely the mother plays the

greatest role, as the teacher and the model. She is responsible to hasten the child’s

physical, mental and social development as early as infancy. She is responsible to give a

home suitable for learning experiences. The mother and the father as well must discover

the child’s inate talents and abilities to the fullest extent possible to lead the child to the

way of becoming productive.

In gaining productive children, the mother and the father as well should teach the

child self-reliance, social etiquettes, and the cultivation of patience, respect and love but

the parents should first discipline the child to attain these values. Nourishing and

nurturing includes the mother’s passion. It goes hand-in-hand. Now, let us begin by

disciplining the child. Discipline makes the child aware of what is right and what is

wrong in thought, deed, word as well as what is beneficial and harmful. It makes the

child understand the standards and morals of the society in which he lives. It teaches him

that he does not exist by himself and that he has to respect the rights of others. Both

parents have the task of disciplining their children. Understandably, the mother has the
greatest part of it for the father is working outside the house (commonly). A mother is

bound to discipline her children not to wish or to control their freedom of action but in

order to guarantee safety and health as well as peace of mind of the people around them.

It is also to correct their mistakes before they become bad habits. And lastly is to prepare

them to assume the responsibilities of their actions.

Inculcation of discipline as part of nurturing and nourishing is a major subject to

be encouraged by mothers. A mother should distinguish the right from wrong to her

children. She is expected to let her kids know that freedom has limitations together with

responsibility and understanding of the requirements of a happy and peaceful living. The

earlier the children are disciplined the better they become low-abiding citizens making

them productive and successful.

“No, let me do it myself ”- this cue is for the children who are filled with self-

reliance. Self-reliance simply means being independent. A mother should let her children

grow in natural inclination towards being independent. Teaching a child to be self-reliant

is as easy as sweeping. You only need to assist the child in what he maybe doing like

changing his clothes, eating, cleaning etcetera. As a mother, she should encourage her

children in their efforts to do things for themselves.

Are manners old-fashioned and tedious? It is not when you practice them with

your children. Teaching your children to be respectful, patient and considerable is a tough
thing but through your examples, they can adopt to that attitudes. As mothers, it is

common that you are the models to your children. Especially when you learn that far

from being a lifeless set of rules, manners are keys to opening any social doors. Children

feel much more confident when they know what they are suppose to say and how they are

supposed to act especially outdoors.

A father who works too hard so that mom can stay home is not doing anybody any

favors. When a child is born, both parents need to enter into the discussion of

employment, childcare and finances. Since when was childcare only a decision of

motherhood? Husbands and wives both need to compromise, struggle and give of

themselves to see that their children are adequately loved, clothed, fed, cared for and

made to feel important. But a mother’s role as the provider should see to it that her

children gained all the love, the food as early as the child’s infancy. She is always there to

provide the blanket of love when her child gets sick.

The responsibility of raising a child is important—very important—right up there

with cultivating a relationship with God and the society. That means every decision

should be weighed in the context of your child’s welfare. After all, children know

intuitively whether they are a priority in their parents’ lives or not—no matter whether a

parent is at home or at work.

PRODUCTIVE INDIVIDUALS

For millions, life today is certainly not what God intended it to be. His plans have

been pushed aside and His creation scarred by uncaring hands. The world today is no

Garden of Eden. And the characters of people, too, have been marred. Little is left of the

image of God nowadays. We cannot really determined what is right from wrong at first

sight for we are blinded by the landly warbles brought about by down-trodden people. In

this kind of generation, we cannot define what is being successful and productive. The

last part of this exposition would like to guarantee the readers to view the other side of

success and productivity through the kind of people dwelling in the community, society,

and other country with the special participation and influences of families especially that

of a mother.

The role of a mother greatly affects the success of her children for she plays an

important role in molding her children's characters. Values are not taught, it is caught.

This adage means that it is in modeling to the child what are these values towards

success. After all, whatever the child will be, the parents primarily get the blames. Good

actions beget good reactions as another adage goes.

A child's performance of being productive is measured in the way he interacts in

the community, society and our country. A community is simply a number of individuals

and the sum of their creations, located in geographic proximity. Hoping to build strong
communities without focusing on individuals would be like astronomers attempting to

comprehend galaxies while ignoring individual stars. We cannot expect all individuals to

act accordingly to each situations implied in the community. But definitely, the same

thing is that a productive child exists noticeably in his own way. The child is capable of

communicating to his or her fellow youths the natural way. He is always cheerful towards

everybody in the community making him socially capable of doing things his own or to

others as well. One's ability to adapt to one’s environment as well as to interact with other

people is important.

We come to social abilities of a fully developed kid. Being socially capable is

brought about by so many influences, these includes the influence of home and family

which goes hand-in-hand, the school and the community on each individual. A smart and

productive child is very noticeable for he is self-reliant, well oriented and cheerful in

acting towards the society. Research has shown that the presence of parents is needed so

that the child can attain very successful dealing in the society. And that children from

broken families have more difficulties and insecurities in their social relationships than

children who come from happy families. The absence of either a mother or a father can

trigger them to explore their innate talents making them insecure and wanting to do all

the things they wanted or by simply dealing with their own personalities. It is then that

the parents play an important role in dealing with their children molding them productive

individuals.
 Christian citizens have obligations to both God and country. Some might argue

because of the stupidity done in our generation at present. Matthew 22:21 stresses by

Jesus himself, "Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to

God what belongs to God." We pay our taxes, respect the laws, but another way we serve

our government is by lawfully influencing it to do what is right in God's eyes. This is the

exact reaction and interaction of a productive individual in our country. You may not be

productive in its truest sense, but as long as you abide by the country's laws made you

productive. It is then that you submit yourself to the governing authorities. Like paying

taxes, abiding the country's code of laws and do all good deed is God's eyes.

The greatest example of a productive individual the author can recommend is the

life of our national hero, Jose Rizal. Little has been known of his stay-at-home mother,

Theodora Alonzo. Theodora devoted her time raising her nine growing children including

Rizal in Calamba heritage. Definitely, Rizal excelled among the eight. Jose Rizal was

raised by her mother who in God’s grace has installed great lessons since the day he was

born. Her mother was his greatest teacher and he was raised well and productive. It was

vivified when Jose Rizal died for our country.

The child who is productive in our country is the child who can respect the rights

of others, broad-minded by beliefs of others and off-handed by the reality. He is also

capable of being a leader of our country as well, for he has the plethora of lessons
installed in his heart and mind since the day he was born.

A truly productive person - the fabric of any rational community, society and

country - is one who applies his reasoning mind to productive achievement which means

that charity, volunteerism and the life of the standard moral currencies of the country-

minded, society-minded and country-minded are secondary considerations at best.

CONCLUSION

Be it in classrooms or homes, teaching virtues is an act and a process. It is an art

because teachers and parents need to be creative to teach effectively and a process

because virtues are taught one at a time, depending on the ages of children. But how can

it be creative if a mother’s presence is somewhere over the rainbow? It may sound

sarcastic but a mother should stay inside the house in order for her to facilitate the arts

and processes of rearing her children. It is important for a mother to stay inside the house

to care, to love, to guide and to nurture her children’s characters, developing minds and

together with the formation of their physical, social and emotional well-beings.

Research shows recently those children who have stay-at-home mothers are more

productive and more competent compared to children who do not have. It is a fact that a

mother’s presence inside the house is a blessing to the children because she can guide,

teach and handle things well with her kids. She can keep the fire of love and affection to

her kids that a simple nanny cannot do. She can sustain the understanding and patience
her children needed in the formation of their well-beings may it be physical, emotional

and social well-being.

The world of a stay-at-home mother could be suppressing to a career growth but

the sunny side of it can never be neglected. How can a mother neglect to see her children

at times high-spirited and strong-willed little geniuses who can invent every possible

excuse and intelligent reasoning to push their own way as a by product of their labor of

love? Whose mother’s heart would not beat with joy at the sight of a toddler bowed head,

closed eyes, bended knees and folded hands lisping a prayer in her or his puerile voice

pouring her or his heart out to our Father in heaven? It is a blessing to see one’s own

child growing up and evaluating the lessons of love.

There are a lot of benefits of having stay-at-home mothers. The first thing is that a

mother and a child create a special bonding. Children are prone to talk about everything

because he or she considers his or her mother not just an ordinary mother but a sister and

a friend as well. The second thing is that it builds and breeds trust. Therefore, a child will

not show reluctance and hesitations in telling what he or she really feel because he or she

finds a constant security and trust to the mother making him or her self-oriented and

productive. The third is that mothers who work inside the house does not need to rush her

teachings because she can execute lessons without catching the flight. In addition, she is

the boss and the manager of everything inside the house. Overall, the best part of course
is that mothers set their own schedules for the most part and getting to do fun thing with

her children that a simple nanny cannot handle.

Indeed, being a stay-at-home mother is not easy. But it is a certain vocation a

woman should attain. It is the greatest vocation because you give significant points to

each bit of innumerable pluses (small they may be) of watching your children grow

physically, emotionally and above all, spiritually each day.

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WEBSITES

http://educationreference.yahoo.com/

http://www.mother's passion.com

http://www.pandora.nla.gov.com/reference

http://www.secretsofsuccess.com/reference/leadership

http://www.secretsofsuccess.com/reference/lifestyle

http://www.stay-at-home mom.com

http://www.successfulindividuals.com/

BIBLE

Good News Bible (Today's English Version). Preverbs 22:6

Good News Bible (Today's English Version). Matthew 22:21