It was only when the woman’s own mother arrived at the scene and wrapped loving arms around her, saying, “It’s going to be OK,” that the crying stopped almost instantly.

Mothers have that ability: to heal wounds with a kiss, to comfort with just a touch.

In May, mothers are celebrated in the United States (May 10), and for Catholics, the Mother of God is honored with processions and celebrations. However, a sad undercurrent has developed in our culture, especially on social media, that seems to discourage, and even to mock, this life-giving vocation. Some women are publicly stating that they regret motherhood. 

This discontent may be a result of mothers who have little or no support. Mothers who are suffering from postpartum depression, who have post-traumatic stress after a difficult birth or even a tough childhood may feel overwhelmed and need accompaniment. Some women may need professional help or medication to navigate these difficult issues and experiences.

Pope Leo XIV said that life “risks no longer representing a gift, but an unknown, almost a threat from which to protect ourselves so as not to end up disappointed.” A piece in Parents magazine a couple of months ago illustrated this. “I hate being a mom. I do love my 3-month-old daughter … but I miss my world before her, and I hate knowing that the rest of my life is going to be dictated by someone else’s needs,” it read.

This illustrates Pope Leo’s concern about a “widespread sickness in the world.” We forget that, as human beings, we are made for love. Though love requires sacrifice, no human being can live happily without loving and being loved. We “cannot live without love,” St. John Paul II reminded us in Redemptoris Hominis. He said that if love is not revealed to us, if we don’t encounter it, if we do not experience it and make it our own, then we remain “incomprehensible” to ourselves.

Focusing only on the negative aspects of any job creates bitterness and eventually a toxic environment that slowly poisons those who inhabit it. The small, vocal minority of unhappy mothers should not overshadow the greater number — the silent moms who fill the pews in our parishes, who wait in the car line at school for their children, who work long hours and still go home to chaotic toddlers.

Kristen

“Motherhood is the hardest job I ever loved,” said Kristen McGuire, a fundraising consultant, writer and mother of eight children. The family are parishioners at St. Anthony Mission in Hardeeville. In the early years of motherhood, she had her share of struggles as a military wife, raising five children under the age of 6 and caring for one of her children with autism. 

“My whole day was spoken for in that time, with little time for myself. Looking back now, I can see that it made me the person I never thought I could be,” Kristen said. 

She remembered sharing with another parent that she was so tired, and he looked at her and her husband and said, “What else are you going to do with your days that is more important than raising your children?”

Emily

Emily Hardee and her husband Jim married in their 40s. They were not sure if they would be able to have children.

“Despite the statistical unlikeliness at my age to give birth, the immediate pregnancy showed me that God can do all things,” Emily said. She gave birth to her son in late 2025. 

“A baby finds joy so effectively, conveyed by shining eyes and toothless smile. Aiden keeps me focused on joy, and dispels any unwanted concern that might creep in, by reinforcing peaceful thoughts,” she said.

Janelle

Janelle Florendo is the family and marriage coordinator for the diocesan Office of Family Life.

“I never understood the phrase that the greatest reflection of God’s love is through the heart of a mother,” she said. Her thoughts on motherhood were beautiful but distant, she said. It was not until she became a mom — a journey she describes as “marked by both deep suffering and profound grace” — that she learned suffering, when surrendered, is never wasted. Instead, it is a path to grace. 

When her first child was diagnosed with autism, she set aside her profession as an OB/GYN so that she could devote herself to her son.

“It was not easy, and it was not without fear, but it was there that I began to learn what it truly means to trust in the Lord,” she said. 

With two following miscarriages and secondary infertility, she found herself pregnant nine years later. Janelle said she prayed harder than she had ever prayed before. Her second child, a girl, was born also facing the challenges of autism.

“I was reminded of everything God had already carried me through. The same grace that sustained me before, was still there, abundant and unwavering,” she recalled.

Janelle said she’s learned from motherhood that love is not the absence of suffering but a willingness to endure it. “Motherhood has shown me that true love casts out fear, because it is rooted in trust in God.”

A mother’s heart, stretched and sometimes broken, can become a vessel of God’s love for the world.

“It is through sacrifice, surrender and unwavering faith that his love is made visible,” Janelle said. “And it is through this journey that I have come to know that truth, not just in words, but in my soul.”