Jowita Bydiowska's memoir, "Drunk Mom," is about a mother who suffers from alcoholism. Motherhood is a term that does not have a single definition, since it has sentimental significance to women. Characteristics that a mother portrays can help define motherhood. However, every mother has their own description of the term motherhood based on their experiences. Motherhood begins once a women gives birth to a child. Jowita does not fulfill the expectation of motherhood as she is sometimes irresponsible. She sometimes cannot put her son as her first priority when alcohol is around her. Although Jowita does not always meet the expectations of motherhood, she certainly carries a lot of love for her son without a doubt. In this memoir motherhood is meaningful to Jowita and brings a positive impact on her life despite having her problems.
Jowita introduces herself in the beginning by stating she is an alcoholic. Jowita constantly speaks about alcohol until she mentions the time when she finds her out she is pregnant. When she reflects she explains, "I was in such awe of my pregnancy and I was so scared of hurting my little boy growing inside my belly," (19). It sounds that perhaps she will do absolutely anything for this baby during her pregnancy however, this is not the case. One may think that Jowita will stop drinking during her pregnancy, but she continues to drink which is harmful to the baby during the nine month process. Moreover when she speaks about her labour she claims, "All I could think about was this tiny boy and how happy he had me already," (36). This is an example of how much love her little boy brings to her.
From this point on whenever she mentions her son, she speaks in a cheerful tone and positive attitude. Jowita feels that she can communicate with her son by looking at him. She says, "he senses me looking. It's our magical connection, mother and son. We feel each other," (250).
