As Mother’s Day 2022 comes around, so does the time to reflect on the maternal figures in our own lives. May 8th is a day to thank the women who brought us into this world and sacrificed their lives to nurture and raise us. Whether you have a mother or a daughter of your own, we can take this holiday to empathize with mothers for assuming the uneasy responsibility of raising a daughter in a man’s world.
Today, mothers are expected to remain calm when they open their phones to headlines of women being abducted, violated, and harassed every single day. As daughters reach teenagehood and gain the freedom that comes with newfound independence, mothers are put in a tricky position.
Should mothers prioritize protecting their daughters' safety or their relationship with their daughters? Can a mother do both?
SafeUP can create a happy medium where mothers can have peace of mind, and their daughters can explore all that the world has to offer, safely.
Regardless of the relationship, you have with your own mother, you most likely are familiar with the image of a coming-of-age rebellious teenage daughter, and her protective mother. This mother-daughter dynamic is present all over the media. Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, from Gilmore Girls, embody this exact dysfunctional maternal relationship when Rory enters her teenage years. Lorelai continually insists “mother knows best”, as she attempts to shield Rory from heartbreak and making the same mistakes Lorelai did when she was Rory’s age. Viewers watch the once steadfast mother-daughter love shake and crumble as Rory fights to willfully live her life on her own terms, and Lorelai struggles to protect her baby girl. In the case of Gilmore Girls, a tool such as SafeUp could have aided their relationship.
I, 18, a SafeUP Intern, graduated high school and left the house for the first time a mere 7 months ago.
While I have embraced my exploration of adulthood and the responsibility that has come with it, I have been exposed to difficult realities, as well. Being catcalled, honked at, and receiving unwarranted attention from unfamiliar men has simultaneously saddened and empowered me. SafeUp is a necessary resource that every woman should have if they wish. Having SafeUp and the SafeUp community has given me the comfort to live my life out of passion and not fear.
SafeUP can provide abase of trust. Mothers should not have to keep their daughters at home to know they are safe. Although we can not change all the people in our world, utilizing SafeUp can unburden and change a mother’s reality for raising daughters.
By Natalie Mendelsohn