Does mother's love slowly diminish as the child grows up becoming more and more self reliant and independent?

Morning Small :)

As a mother of four, now grown adults, I can only answer for myself (though I'd like to believe that it works the same for all, ya know?)

No, not diminish, but change.

From the time they are born, helpless, you nurture and foster their growth, both physically and intellectually. By the time they are adults, you still have so many things left to teach them, so many years spent learning life's lessons...yet, they are now grown, self reliant and independent? No, not really, truly, ever free of the need for approval, advice, approbation of their parents, most particularly from their mother!

In that time, having lived through your worst fears, your most frightening nightmares, and come to grips with the loss of the precious baby you bore, love doesn't diminish, it evolves (poor choice of words there) into something wholly different, yet the same. You begin to see your child as an adult, and that pain of loss is also the pleasure of accomplishment. You begin to trust that the lessons you taught were actually learned, and have pride in the adult you see standing before you. You fight yourself to keep from hugging and kissing away the hurts they suffer, you battle yourself to not wrap them back in the caul of childhood, you spend sleepless nights wondering if they are well, happy, thriving, just because you aren't the one that is responsible for that anymore. You cry over their sorrow, and rejoice over their joy.

Oh, what a fool was the person who ever said motherhood ends when the child is grown!

Sometimes a mother’s love does actually diminish when a child becomes more self-reliant. This really depends on whether the woman is living her life through her child, or actually respects her child as an independent and autonomous being from the very beginning. The former mother, the one whose aspirations are expressed vicariously through the way her child is raised, will have diminished affection and love once that child exerts his own independence. This is not true with the latter type of mother who has pride in her child fulfilling his/hers own hopes and dreams.

This is not the politically correct warm and fuzzy answer people like to hear. Most people like to be told that a mother’s love, REGARDLESS OF THE MOTHER, is eternal and immutable. As nice as this sounds for Hallmark greetings cards, in reality all emotions are subject to change depending on the person’s character, and that includes love.

Mother`s love for her children does not diminish by time.If anything it tends to increase as she superimposes her expectations on her children. That the chidren should excel in everything they do becomes her 'mantra' . Also she wants her children to be self reliant and independent. The only thing that I would add here is that any love is reciprocal. Mother and child are n exception. The mother having been used to be loved back by children while growing , finds that slowly the reciprocity is not there and she feels disappointed.

Definitely not!

The mother's love will always be there especially if the mother has been nurtured with love and care by her mother too. Remember that the suffering experienced by the mother particularly the 9 months up to birth delivery will never be forgotten by the mother. A good mother will always cherished the great moment in her life. A very good example of this is my mother who have never ever diminish the love for all of her children. We are all now professionals and the same treatment is always there. Wether we are away or near from her. It is i believe a mother's instinct to care for her children.

Exceptions to this are those irresponsible mothers. They will never be considered a real mother to me. A loving mother will always be a loving mother till their last breathe.

Thanks for an interesting question.

Have a great day!

WOW, I would have to say NO!

I have three sons: ages 19, 17, 16. I am and always have been madly in love with my kids. Now while the love does not diminish, it may change shape. Meaning, When they are little you are overwhelmed with keeping then safe, fed, and happy. As they become more independent, they still need you, it is just less severe. So while the 'need' to be there for them may diminish, the love never does! I should hope it never will.

Hope that helps.

Psychic emergence is fatefully independent of the mother. This allows the child to be a "self". It's not about the possessive. That which is "held in common", or corporeal, is so formidible as to be very distressing to the male. Love redefined, refined, by agency: the unwitting ego of the mother.

Sunflower is correct. The Love does not fade but it changes dimension. The lessons you attempt to help your children learn change but the reasons behind it stay the same. When babies & toddlers the emphasis is physical safety. This changes once they enter school to moral lessons, social skills, & lessons of the heart. Eventually they grow up, leave home, & you are no longer the focus of the lesson they learn & the dimension of the Love changes again, but I have never Loved them less. I have great children who are now adults. They grew up thru some hard lessons, but learned them well with great heart. If it were possible, I Love them more.

Maybe just the same as a long time marriage takes a deeper dimension due to shared history, perhaps it is the same with our children.

Blessings!

I think you are just a weak man that seeing woman like housekeeper. With this thinking try to take one girl that will not be able ever in her life to live alone. But you must ask yourself: You will be happy knowing that your woman stay with you only because you take care financially of her? If you will succeed to live with an independent woman that is self-satisfied and sufficient then you will realise your importance in her life and you can be proud of what you are.

I don't have any such experiences about insane mothers but usually, mothers' love towards their children never dries up. Probably mothers' attention to the children might get diminish at a certain level. Never forget, whatever 'reliant' or 'independent' one becomes, mother too becomes so or remain senior with age-old experiences. Most of all, it's the Mother who knows herself as Mother! How could she make her love towards her child let go diminishing?

heavens no! It morphs. Being the only love a child will have on Earth unconditional. We will be there as long as there is breath in out lungs, regardless. How Mothers love their children. See the mother bear, how she behaves when she has little ones at her side. See how she will defend them.

I do not know a Mum that would not give her life for one of her children. You are all we have. :)