Raising a New Generation

When my daughter was a few weeks old I remember a distinct moment when I realised that I would do anything to protect her, perhaps even kill if I had to. That mother bear kind of feeling has come back many times over the years – about both my kids. I am not sure when it kicks in. Maybe it is natural after carrying someone under your heart for nine months, or maybe it comes in with the milk. But I now know what my grandmother meant when she said that it doesn't matter how old you are, but to your mother you'll always be a child.

My daughter is in India for a month. I am getting used to the fact that she has travelling genes and enjoys these adventures. But I have been distressed watching the news about the young woman who has died after being brutally raped in Delhi recently. I cannot think of anything worse that could be done to a woman. I know I can’t protect my daughter from everything. I have reminded her to stay in the group, to not go out alone nor with people she doesn't know. All the usual stuff. How much more do you do?

That  young woman was part of the new youth emerging in India; studying further, educating herself to raise a different generation to contribute to building a new world. How do we live in a world where women are so devalued and where they mean so little? Are we becoming immune to all the violence we witness on a regular basis?

The centre of Delhi was closed on the day my daughter arrived, as people protested against the attack and called for the death penalty. We need to join in and protest more loudly against the abuse of women in India, around the world and certainly here in SA. And as mothers of sons we need to make sure that we grow good men so that this cycle of violence can be broken.