On this day dedicated to honoring all of the mother figures around the world, I thought I’d give a special shout-out to immigrant mothers, who tend to relocate to provide more opportunities for their born or unborn children. I believe I am around the same age as my mom was when she moved away from her home country of Bangladesh – 20 years old.
I cannot imagine the stress and anxiety immigrant mothers feel. Moving away from everything you’ve known and grown up around is difficult enough, but doing so with the intention of planting seeds in unknown soil is even more pressure. They don’t know if those seeds will germinate, but they come with the determination that they must, and they pour everything out of themselves to ensure that roots will sprout.
I cannot imagine the fear of being seen as not good enough. Those that arrive and become mothers at a young age barely know who they are as a person. They have to learn how to raise children when they are just on the brink of childhood and adulthood themselves. There is so much to learn with seemingly such little time. It appears to be a constant battle of proving to yourself that you are knowledgeable enough, that you deserve to be here.
I cannot imagine the disconnect they experience, especially with people not understanding them. They have to constantly explain themselves to their friends and family back in their home countries. While shopping or at work, they have to constantly repeat their English words, slowly annunciating each syllable. Once their kids get older, and the cultural and generational gaps widen, they have to explain themselves to their own children – and they need to listen to their children as well, or else this disconnect will persist.
I cannot imagine how big their hearts are. They are willing to sacrifice so much for their children, arriving with the intention of granting them all of the dreams they never could have. It seems they try to put their children before themselves, for whatever that reason may be – perhaps so we don’t have to struggle in the same manner they did. And once those children grow up, they have to remember how to be their own person again. I cannot imagine their resilience and passion.
Thank you to my mom, who spends days handmaking all of my traditional outfits with the utmost care and patience in every stitch. Thank you to my aunts, who never let me leave their houses without a full stomach and full heart. Thank you to my grandmothers, who taught me my first language, the one that connects me to my heritage. I would not be who I am today without these strong, nurturing women in my life.
Thank you to all immigrant mothers, for planting new roots so we may diversify this land.