Commentary: When A Mother Implodes

The terrifying news of mothers who murder their own children is becoming more and more frequent. It used to be a given that a mother was the only person who could protect her children from the adversities of this increasingly dangerous world. But things have changed; women have lost the protective maternal instinct toward their own children, and have ceased to be the safest source for children.

Consider the news: a mother who drowns herself and her children; a mother who sets her house on fire with her children inside; and so on. The first instinct is to judge such a mother as bad and unloving. But a deeper look uncovers interesting facts: the mothers were suffering greatly; some take their own lives with their children; they had shown signs of severe depression, and had commented that life was meaningless and that they didn’t wish to continue living; they didn’t like the world as it was for their children, they would not allow their little ones to suffer as they had; and many more almost imperceptible signals that were not taken into account.

It is hard to defeat a mother, but if she collapses and surrenders to her adversities her children will likely suffer as she does.

Any one of us who sees a mother within our reach who is suffering and at the point of falling into a bottomless pit needs pay attention, to offer support, to help her find professional assistance. If not, you could become an accomplice to an unfortunate and painful event, where only the only talk will be about what happens, “when a mother implodes.”

Martha Sáenz is a life coach and hyponotherapist who lives in Los Angeles. If you have a question for Martha email her at marthalifecoach@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @marthalifecoach.