For several weeks this winter, thousands of people were glued to their screens watching a giraffe in labor.

I scratched my head a lot throughout this process, wondering what in the world had put such a spell on people. The last time I watched something give birth was in Evan Winkler’s 10th-grade health class, and let’s just say it was not the most pleasant experience.

When you’re 16, surrounded by other 16-year-olds and forced to watch a video of a woman contorting her body to deliver a human being, the whole process seems anything but glamorous.

I am sure it comes to no surprise to anyone that I had no part of watching that giraffe push another animal out of its body.

You also will not be surprised to hear that I have not been blessed with the title of “mom” yet.

This is not to say that I find motherhood off-putting — it’s quite the opposite, actually. I believe motherhood — from pregnancy and decades after that — is nothing short of miraculous.

There are a lot of jobs that I find scary in this world.

I could never be a police officer, for example. I would be a terrible judge. I feel too badly for people. I lack the patience it takes to teach young children. I think I would go insane. I think it goes without saying that medical professions are out of the question.

All that said, I truly believe there is no job more difficult than that of a mother. Moms have to be all these jobs and more. They diffuse dangerous situations all the time. They trust their conscience to make good decisions and lay down the law. They teach their children every day, and they take care of the health and well-being of other people.

When I think of some of the most inspirational people in my life, plenty of people in my professional network come to mind, but the traits I find most inspiring in people do not come from how well one can lay down a sentence in a courtroom, or how someone handles an emergency room patient with a gash in his head (though these people are absolutely inspiring).

To me, moms take the cake when it comes to willpower, patience, strength, determination and a long list of other traits every person aspires to have.

I know most people say their mom is the best mom in the world, and I am no different.

I will never cease to be amazed by the sacrifices my mother has made to make my siblings’ and my life better than her own. I have watched time and time again as my mom has gone to bat for not only her own children, but countless others.

My mom has always been a giver. She loves with all she has and is not afraid to tell others what she thinks. Anyone who knows her would tell you she would give the shirt off her back to help another person.

She truly is a superhero.

My best friend recently learned that she and her husband will be having a baby, and from day one, this junk food lover has tossed anything and everything that may not be good for her spawn. At least three times a week I learn another food that she has given up, and a healthy alternative she has replaced it with.

From the moment she learned she would be a mother, her own desires went to the wayside. The baby came first.

All in all, I think that must be the most admirable trait in mothers — the sheer selflessness. These people deal with some of the worst physical pain imaginable, and still sacrifice selflessly, give generously and love unconditionally.

Imagine if all people in this world had that sort of mentality: a desire to put others’ needs before their own, no questions asked.

The world would be a better place if mothers ruled the world.

I’d like to wish all of the mothers reading this a very happy Mother’s Day. Please know that you are an inspiration and you are appreciated — 365 days a year.

Ambrosia Neldon is the general manager at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7700, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.