The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word OOPHORON
O
O
P
H
O
R
O
N
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "it’s a mothering thing" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case it’s a mothering thing = oophoron.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.