A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestational surrogacy.
Portrait of a woman holding a baby, c. 1900 – c. 1920
Statue of a mother with children at the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa
Mother and child. Gandola Monastery, Lahaul, India.
Sikkimese mother with child
A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian. The gametes of a parent result in a child, a male through the sperm, and a female through the ovum. Parents are first-degree relatives and have 50% genetic meet. A female can also become a parent through surrogacy. Some parents may be adoptive parents, who nurture and raise an offspring, but are not biologically related to the child. Orphans without adoptive parents can be raised by their grandparents or other family members.
The Brazilian imperial family, 1857
Obama family portrait, 2011
Postpartum baby
Sinatra family 1949