Young mom, Monique Nicky Basson, is looking forward to spending her first Mother’s Day this Sunday, 9 May, with her little bundle of joy, 8-month-old Sebastiaan Dirk Basson.
Mother’s Day is celebrated internationally on the second Sunday of May and its origin can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honour of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. However, the modern Mother’s Day celebrations came about in 1907 from Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, USA, who held a special Sunday for her women’s group, to promote friendship, health and maternal-strength that her mother, Ann Jarvis, instilled in her.
In South Africa, the day is usually celebrated with gifts, flowers, cards and sentimental tokens or gestures of appreciation from adoring children or partners. Born during the peak of the pandemic, Basson said Sebastiaan’s arrival into the world was no easy task but memories she cherishes the memories. “I only went to the doctor’s office once a month and his dad only saw his son’s sonogram much later due to the safety protocols for hospital patients and staff. It was a sad and painful experience giving birth with no familiar hands to hold, although I had a very sweet midwife who took care of me during that time.” The glowing mother said the days after giving birth were especially intimate as she embraced the solitude in bonding with her son. “I had two free days of getting to know the person I would love until the end of times with no interruptions, phone calls, messages or people coming in-between our precious bonding moments.”
Basson said motherhood has been the most rewarding job and that her first Mother’s Day would be spent counting her blessings in the company of Sebastiaan and his father. “Life always throws us curveballs but that’s what makes each memory thereafter unique.” She added that mothers should be celebrated, loved and cherished daily. “Mother’s Day should be every day, for the unconditional love and support that they provide constantly.” The management and staff of The Southern Star together with Monique Nicky Basson and Sebastiaan Dirk Basson wish all our readers a happy Mother’s Day.
