Comment: Mum’s the magic word – Gulf Digital News

Comment: Mum’s the magic word – Gulf Digital News

THERE is a story I never tire of telling folks when talking of the warm-heartedness of Bahrain – about 10 years ago when my mother-in-law was staying with us, we had gone to a restaurant. We parked just at the entrance to make it easier for her to get into the place. As she slowly got out, the SUV behind us honked impatiently but we could not hurry her. We entered the restaurant and settled down. A couple of minutes later, the driver of the SUV entered hurriedly. Fearing an outburst of road rage, we braced ourselves. He came directly to my mother-in-law and said, “I am so sorry Mother, I didn’t see you getting out of the car. I should not have honked!”

A man who was going somewhere else, interrupted his journey and took out time to search out an aged stranger to apologise – that encapsulates the culture of Bahrain.

And its not a one-off occurrence.

In Bahraini culture the mother is given an exalted status and Bahrainis mean it. They don’t just pay lip service to the idea of motherhood. The kingdom has generous maternity leave benefits, extending to breastfeeding time off during the first year.

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