Sadhu, Sadhu... one is not this or that, becomes not this or that, by
jati, stand, or given name, but by deeds.
Atma does not remember textual things in this regard, so it can not be seens as 1:1 advices by the Sublime Buddha.
The very characteristic, deed, that makes one to be called mother, is giving birth, providing with the for conditions, means for living: dwelling (shelter), food, medicine, clothers on the very basical need.
One who provides for existance, becoming, grow, is called Brahma. So the wise called mother and father the first Gods for one.
Brahma Sutta: With Brahma
"Bhikkhus, those families are with Brahma, where the mother and father are worshipped by their children. Those families are with the first teachers, where the mother and father are worshipped by their children. Those families are with a former god, where the mother and father are worshipped by their children. Those families are worthy of reverence where the mother and father are worshipped by their children.
"Bhikkhus, Brahma is a synonym for mother and father. The first teachers, is a synonym for mother and father. A former god is a synonym for mother and father. Worthy of reverence is also a synonym for mother and father. What is the reason? Bhikkhus, mother and father have done a lot for their children, feeding them and showing them the world when they were helpless."
"Mother and father are said to be Brahma and an earlier god,
Children should revere them, for the compassion of the populace
The wise should revere and care for them, giving eatables, drinks
Clothes, beds, massaging, bathing and washing their feet
The wise enjoy attending on their mother and father
And later enjoy heavenly bliss."
ព្រហ្មសូត្រ ទី៣ *
(??)*
[៦៤] ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ដែលពួកបុត្រណា បូជាហើយក្នុងផ្ទះ ត្រកូលទាំងនោះ ឈ្មោះថា ប្រកបដោយឋានៈជាព្រហ្ម ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ដែលពួកបុត្រណា បូជាហើយ ក្នុងផ្ទះ ត្រកូលទាំងនោះ ឈ្មោះថា ប្រកបដោយឋានៈជាបុញ្វចារ្យ ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ដែលពួកបុត្រណា បូជាហើយក្នុងផ្ទះ ត្រកូលទាំងនោះ ឈ្មោះថា ប្រកបដោយឋានៈជាបុព្វទេព ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ដែលពួកបុត្រណា បូជាហើយក្នុងផ្ទះ ត្រកូលទាំងនោះ ឈ្មោះថា ប្រកបដោយឋានៈជាអាហុនេយ្យបុគ្គល។ ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ ពាក្យថា ព្រហ្មនុ៎ះ ជាឈ្មោះរបស់មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ ពាក្យថា បុញ្វចារ្យនុ៎ះ ជាឈ្មោះរបស់មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ ពាក្យថា បុព្វទេពនុ៎ះ ជាឈ្មោះរបស់មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ ពាក្យថា អាហុនេយ្យបុគ្គលនុ៎ះ ជាឈ្មោះរបស់មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ។ ដំណើរនោះ ព្រោះហេតុអ្វី។ ម្នាលភិក្ខុទាំងឡាយ ព្រោះថា មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ មានឧបការៈច្រើន ជាអ្នករក្សា ជាអ្នកចិញ្ចឹម ជាអ្នកបង្ហាញនូវលោកនេះ ដល់បុត្រទាំងឡាយ។
មាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយ ជាអ្នកអនុគ្រោះដល់ពួកបុត្រ ហៅថាជាព្រហ្មផង ហៅថា ជាបុញ្វចារ្យផង ជាអាហុនេយ្យបុគ្គលផង របស់បុត្រទាំងឡាយ។ ព្រោះហេតុដូច្នោះ បណ្ឌិតគប្បីនមស្ការ ធ្វើសក្ការៈ ចំពោះមាតាបិតាទាំងនោះ ដោយបាយ ទឹក សំពត់ ទីដេក ការដុសជំរះ ការផ្ងូតទឹក ការលាងជើង និងការបំរើ ចំពោះមាតាបិតាទាំងឡាយនោះ បណ្ឌិតទាំងឡាយ តែងសរសើរ បុគ្គលនោះ ក្នុងលោកនេះដោយពិត លុះលះលោកនេះទៅ រមែងរីករាយក្នុងឋានសួគ៌។
Asking about characteristic of mother: What is the characteristic of Brahma?
Yoni, that what gives birth.
Who ever provides with such things, here, can be called mother. One who gives the possibility for becoming, collects and caretakes the means necessary for it.
One who nourishes, gives food, for physical development and growing, strength. Who ever nourishes one to grow bodily, to gain strength and nurish for further existence, can be called mother.
One who takes care on health, takes care of ones body. This is one who can be called once mother.
One who looks for providing shelter from what ever dangers, cold, heat. Such a person can be called mother.
To count it together, one who cares for ones well-being. And it goes further in giving time and patient to learn the basic skills: walking, speaking... here comes the aspect of becoming independent into it.
A perfect mother, if investigating, knowing that here support-possibility will have an end, thinking on the childs long term happiness, teaches skills and gives advices.
That is for example the reason why Upasika Visaka was called "Mother of (her fathers name)", because she turned her father to Dhamma and good conducts.
So mother, taken the characteristics not only in regard of "short" physical well-being, but as a general attitude of care and interests on the childs long term happiness, is not far from the words root mata, mita: ones primarily support for becoming and growth.
That's one aspect, one view.
Another characteristic of mother is being busy and strong attached to give birth, nurish and foster, to put nothing higher as their beloved child. So the characteristic of mother was also used as strong attachment, strong holding on something.
Surely the most famous simile is to urge for an attachment to hold on goodwill in ones heart, using "like a mother looks for her only son" so should one hold on the quality of metta in ones heart to get not sick, not lost.
Those are some aspects. They all can be used for liberation or strong boundage, in positive and negative sense.
And to do not get lost to much in thinking that causes suffering, thinking in manners of "I was, I am, will be... what was I...", good to be clear that both, benefits and disadvantage of all kinds have been even seen within ones current life: as samvega is most effective for developing metta toward all beings, right view:
Mata Sutta: Mother
At Savatthi. There the Blessed One said: "From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. A being who has not been your mother at one time in the past is not easy to find... A being who has not been your father... your brother... your sister... your son... your daughter at one time in the past is not easy to find.
"Why is that? From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries — enough to become disenchanted with all fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be released."
May there be
Yoni-so mahāsikkhara. "Attention to what gives birth", for not only developing gratitude, but also to uproot the causes of the wheel of becoming, aging sickness and death, so that no mother, no other beings, need to bear so much burdens just for another decay.