I was at a get together a few days ago and the topic went on to childbirth and how women go through so much in order to have children. From there we discussed everything related to childbirth and the topic of the "placenta" came up. One person said, "I see the placenta as being a metaphor for women, it is the only organ in the body that is created when a women is about to give birth. I believe that women were only created or put on this earth to bear children."
I thought the woman was joking and I laughed out loud and suddenly everyone turned their heads towards me. That's when I realized that she actually meant it. I felt a bit awkward and just decided to walk away from the conversation.
But it got me thinking: Were women only put on this earth to bear children and be mothers, or do we have a higher purpose? So I decided to ask women of different generations what they thought. It was interesting to see how some women reacted to my question, while others just looked at me like I was asking the dumbest question ever.
I talked to some women from my mother's generation and some others from my generation; they felt that women were created to bear children, to be the "mother" of society. Their job wasn't to go and work outside and deal with the "stresses" of the outside world and the financial strains of raising a family. When I raised an eyebrow to that I was told that our world was doomed because women have forgotten their role and try to "compete "with men.
Feeling a little down about these conversations, I turned to women of the younger generation ages ranging from 18-35. Some were mothers while others weren't. The majority of them had a totally different point of view. To them women needed to go out in the world and prove that they were if not better but equal. Yes, some of them believed it was important to have children but it wasn't a woman's sole purpose. They felt that in today's world a woman was expected to have a great education, a good career, have children and take care of the home and the financial burden. They felt like the older generation had it easy as their only goal in life was to be a mother. Some of the ladies even said with a deep sigh, "No I don't work, Im just a house wife."
Both these conversations disturbed me. I was lucky enough to be a mother at a young age and really got to enjoy raising my kids while I worked. However after a lot of soul searching I came to a conclusion, which is:
We were all put on this earth for a reason. Every single one of us is created to be perfect in our own way, No one is created to just be a mother or to be a career woman . We are perfectly blended human beings who have a variety of skills that we use in our everyday life. As a mother we don't just give birth but we take on many careers we become role models, psychologists, teachers, janitors, chefs, drivers, lawyers (especially when they are teens), best friends, mentors and so much more. However women who decide not to have children and are happy and content with their career also take on many roles -- they are sisters, friends, caretakers, daughters, psychologists, aunts, god mothers, lawyers, lovers, wives, and so much more.
So the goal is to find your path and follow your heart, decide if you want to be a placenta or not.