Motherhood starts for a woman as soon as she knows that she is pregnant or takes care of a child that is or is not hers. It is a  natural instinct that occurs rapidly in women to take care of something whether it be a person or animal. This is because over history women have taken on a  nurturing role while taking care of children while the man of the house went out to hunt/battle/work. There is a maternal bond between almost every female mammal and their offspring this is because mammals go through live birth and this is usually an intense process. When I was born, my mother was in labor for almost eighteen hours. To be in excruciating pain for eighteen hours to simply birth a child sounds like no fun to me. Mother’s all over the world went through this kind of pain and will continue to do so for the love of their children that has been created through the bond of motherhood.

Motherhood starts as soon as the woman knows that she is pregnant because it is her responsibility to care of the baby by taking care of her body at that point. I am very lucky that my mom took care of herself when she was pregnant because many women do not. I always see news stories, specifically about women in Baltimore City, who give birth to babies who are addicted to hard drugs like heroin and crack-cocaine. When the children are born already addicted to these kinds of drugs it is not always easy for them to survive. This is a very sad occurrence because there is not a very strong maternal bond straight off the bat between the mother and her child. 

Motherhood does not always have to be between a mother and their child. There are many forms of maternal bonds that could occur like those of a woman and a biological child, woman and a non biological child, or woman and an animal or pet. My mom takes care of our Chihuahua, Lightning, like it is her own child. This could be viewed by people who do not have pets as odd but comes very naturally to a woman to feel these nurturing instincts. My friend, who is not a mother yet has two cats that she feeds and takes care of everyday like they would be her own children. I have another friend who has a dachshund who dresses it up like it is a baby.

Motherhood is a lifelong commitment that should not be taken lightly. It is a bond that cannot be broken. It is a selfless act to be a mother and to take care of a child until they are old enough to take care of themselves. It is beautiful to see the journey of motherhood progress throughout all of its stages. Everyone who was brought into this world as a healthy baby is extremely lucky that they have a mother who cares for them enough to make sure that they are healthy and cared for. 

Sports have always been a major part in my life and a huge part of why I am even here in Essex.   I have played just about every sport you can name at one point.  I have always been a competitive person and sports are just instant competition.  There is nothing i love more than beating someone in any game.  Lacrosse, football, monopoly, it doesn't matter.  If it has rules, a scoreboard, and a winner is crowned at the end, i'm in.  In fact, before coming to Essex, I was gonna be a sports management major and my dream was to be in the front office of an NFL team.  I switched my major to business management because it has more opportunities and i can minor in sports management but that's not the point.  The point is i love sports and they have played a massive role in my life.  I have been playing sports ever since i could walk.  I grew up on grass fields, courts, and rinks trying to become the best athlete i could.  I have spent countless hours of my life going to practices, tournaments, conditioning, etc.  They are my passion in life and without them, i would be a pretty lost person.  The most impactful sport in my life has to be lacrosse.  Lacrosse has opened more doors in my life than i ever expected.  Without lacrosse, I wouldn't have even came up to Maryland.  I'm not even sure if i would be going to college if it weren't for lacrosse.  It was honestly the thing that probably got me through high school.  Basically whenever i am feeling down or lost, lacrosse has been there to lift me up and get me back into the swing of things.  In the few years i have played it, i have fallen in love.  There is just something so pure and special about it.  It sounds stupid but this has to be the best thing that has happened in my life.  Not to say my life has been bad because i have actually been extremely lucky but it has become the most important thing in my life (besides my family of course).  

I know this is definitely not what this whole reflection was supposed to be about but it was the only way i could actually write it.  I just couldn't talk about the boring  and uninteresting parts of me such as being white, male, middle class, etc.  I had to talk about the thing that i feel is a major part of my identity and really defines me.    

The first one i took was the white privilege checklist.   Looking back on my life and where i grew up, i realize how undiverse my towns really were.  I now realize all these things that i take for granite, such shopping alone or being heavily represented on TV.  I just never realized how much my skin color really has helped me in my life and continues to help me.  It's also crazy to think of all the things people not my skin color have to think of before doing certain things that i just don't think about. 

The second and probably most interesting inventory i took was the citizenship checklist.  This one has to be the most eye opening of all the ones I have taken.  You just don't realize how lucky you are to have been born here until you read some of the things on this inventory.  For example, i never knew it was hard for some immigrants to get a drivers license or how hard it could be to get a job if you don't have a social.  It's crazy to think that people risk their lives and their families lives to get into this country and yet they still cant get citizenship.  I have never been a political person but it makes me wonder why no one is doing anything to help these types of people out.  

The third and final inventory i took was the religion inventory.  As someone who grew up in a christian home, i never realized how dominant and controlling christianity really is throughout the holiday season.   The fact that christmas and easter are plastered in every store possible and i never even thought about the other holidays that get pushed to the side is crazy to me.  Also the fact that you can see crosses or symbols of jesus and christianity everywhere and no one thinks twice is another example of the poor treatment other religions get.  The fact that some people may not even feel safe to leave their homes because of their beliefs is not right to me.  We have the freedom of religion in America but yet not all of the religions are treated equally.

I have to say that all of these inventories have been pretty interesting and have shown me a lot of stuff i did not know.  They really make you look back at yourself and they made me realize how good i have it here.