L.O.V.E - Life's Only Vital Emotion
The word ‘Love’ has various definitions and forms. Some define it as ‘strong affection’, ‘warm attachment’, ‘affection based on admiration’ and even ‘infatuation’ or ‘lust’. It means different things to different people. Needless to say, finding just the right way to describe love is difficult. I like to call it LIFE’S ONLY VITAL EMOTION.
Experience has taught me that whatever the definition of Love may be, it may not always be permanent. There are very few relationships in life where we can say that the love never dies. This particular emotion is put to test in many relationships, more than any of us ever realise but when you come out of it with the ability to still feel that emotion, then you know that the relationship will stand the test of time.
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According to me, the definition of Love changes for a person throughout the different stages of life. Growing up, this word is thrown around quite effortlessly and we tend to fall out of love as easily as we fall into it. It doesn’t take much at that stage in life to find fault with someone and immediately stop loving them. Those are connections that can easily be dissolved. Later on when we start forming intimate relationships, love takes on a more emotional role. Commitment comes into the picture and this is when we ask ourselves if this love is forever. No matter how much time passes by and obstacles faced, will this love endure all?
As a mother, I have learned that love knows no boundaries. I wonder in amazement sometimes how the meaning of love changes for a person before and after becoming a mother. The love I feel for my children is the truest and purest form of love I have ever felt and I did not know what it meant to love unconditionally until I gave birth to my elder son. Many people out there may not agree with this statement of maternal love always being unconditional. I remember someone asking me in the past if unconditional love is a pre-requisite for motherhood. Sometimes it does not have to be although I think most of us like the idea of it more than anything else.
The bond between a mother and child is formed from the time the baby is in the mother’s womb. Raising a child is not easy for any woman and there are times when I have wondered whether or not I will be able to do this for the rest of my life. In the midst of all the exhaustion and sleepless nights, there are still those magical moments where your child smiling at you even for a second makes your chest ache and makes the exhaustion slowly fade away. However, in those moments of exhaustion and frustration, I have questioned the emotion of love and wondered if that is enough to be able to care and protect my children. I am sure many mothers out there have thought this time and time again and maybe with extreme guilt too. How can we as mothers question this at all? Unlike when we were young, there is only one answer. The love we feel for our children is a basic part of our make-up. We are hooked for life. Despite all the tantrums and arguments, the love for our children goes beyond being addictive and sometimes bordering on obsessive.
The bond with our children will change over the years, but the strength never fades.
