25 residents of the Vitebsk region became laureates of the regional prize named after Z. Tusnolobova-Marchenko, and another 5 received the Order of Motherhood

Maternal labor is traditionally marked by a high state award - the Order of Mother. This year, 19 Belarusian women were awarded it, 5 of whom are residents of the Vitebsk region: Elena Izofatova, Anzhelika Pokhvalenko, and Angela Maksimenko from Vitebsk, Tatyana Efremenko from the Orsha district, and Marina Vasilyeva from the Postavy district. But year after year, at the solemn reception at the regional executive committee on Mother's Day, women are also honored who, following the example of the famous countrywoman Zinaida Tusnolobova-Marchenko, perform a special feat - raising not only their own but also adopted children, and children with disabilities. The Vitebsk region is the only one that has such a prize. Since its establishment, 384 people have been awarded it.

Among those awarded at the reception today were two mothers of our Paralympians. Valentina Pranevich, a pensioner from the Polotsk district, is the mother of a "golden" wheelchair fencer who brought Belarus victory at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Valentina and her husband raised two sons, but one of them, Andrey, suffered a spinal cord injury at the age of 10. The parents did everything to ensure that the child did not withdraw into himself, exchanged their city apartment for a house in the countryside, and Valentina herself quit her job as a seamstress and devoted herself entirely to her son for 20 years, without forgetting her younger child. Natalia Zudilova from Novopolotsk, whose son Grigory and daughter Anastasia participated in the Belarusian swimming team at the 2016 Paralympic Games, was also awarded the prize. In total, the Zudilov family has four children. "Today we truly felt this holiday," said Natalia Zudilova in her response on behalf of all the mothers present. "We fully felt the care and warmth from the state, local authorities, and realized the importance of our role in society. And our children, of course, too. Thank you for that!" Each of the mothers present has her own destiny, her own character, and her own upbringing methods. But they all agree that the main female happiness is in children. For example, Lyudmila

Shilina from Orsha single-handedly raises two biological and five adopted children. She has also successfully guided her eldest adopted daughter into adulthood. It was for this girl that Lyudmila made the difficult decision to divorce her husband, who was unwilling to participate in raising her. Later, the woman trained as an oligophrenopedagogue and used her acquired knowledge to help two adopted children with speech impairments. They now study alongside their peers. "Each child was my conscious decision. It's not pity. It's joy. Many live for the future, but in reality, time is passing. Therefore, the time for happiness is only here and now. I wake up with this thought and rejoice every day," Lyudmila Shilina shared her wisdom. Another laureate of the award, and a recipient of the Motherhood Order in 2008, Leokadiya Alekseenko from the Rossony district, admitted that all the difficulties of a large family are overcome more easily when everyone is united and friendly. "We have a farm, we all work together. If children only helped by desire until the age of 6, then later each had their own responsibilities. You cannot do without upbringing and labor in a large family," the woman is sure.

This year's "Order-Bearing" mother and history teacher by profession, Tatyana Yefremenko from the Orsha district, believes that a woman, even while raising five children, should also have her own profession, realize herself in it, and work at least part-time to feel needed not only in the family. "It's not that difficult, especially if the husband is supportive, and the children are accustomed to helping around the house and each other. The most important thing is the woman's own desire to manage everything and proper upbringing. You need to communicate more with children, find a 'key' to each one," Tatyana Yefremenko is confident.

And her "colleague" Elena Izofatova from Vitebsk added that children must definitely see a positive example from their parents. "That is, first of all, we must educate and control ourselves, and the children will follow our example. I believe that I havea happy family. I always tell my daughters and sons: children are wings, the more of them, the higher the parents' flight. And love is any mother's protection. The Mother of God spread her protection over all people, and mothers over their children," Elena Izofatova concluded.

Ekaterina Knyazeva. Photo by Alexander Khitrov – BELTA.