Mother facts for kids

Painting of a mother putting her child to bed

A mother is a female parent. She is the person who gives birth to a child. A male parent is called a father. Mothers play a very important role in raising and caring for their children.

Different Names for "Mother"

People around the world use many different names for "mother." Here are some common examples:

• In American English, you might hear "Mom," "Mommy," or "Ma."
• In British English and Australian English, "Mum" and "Mummy" are often used.
• In Indonesian, people say "Ibu" or "Bunda."
• In Filipino, "Nanay" or "Ina" are common.

Many languages have their own unique words for mother. For example:

• In Spanish, it's Madre.
• In Norwegian, it's Mamma or Mor.
• In German, it's Mutter.
• In Latin, the word is Mater.
• In Russian, it's Mat.

See Also

• Parent-in-law

Images for kids

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  Portrait of a woman holding a baby, [between 1900 and 1920]

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  Statue of mother with children at the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno

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  Mother and child. Gandola Monastery. Lahaul, India

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  Sikkimese mother with child

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  Percentage of births to unmarried women, selected countries, 1980 and 2007

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  Olga Pearson Engdahl was American Mother of the Year in 1963

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  Mother and children (Mahabalipuram, India)

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  Mother and child in Cambodia

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  Lemminkäinen's Mother, an 1897 painting by Akseli Gallen-Kallela: She is shown having just gathered her son's Lemminkäinen's broken body from the dark river.

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  Mother with child in Burkina Faso

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  Mother with child in Peru

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  Statue of Mother Armenia, aerial view in Yerevan

In Spanish: Madre para niños