Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Thoughts on Motherhood ...

Just today, I was talking with a coworker that wants to start a family soon. She is married, and she and her husband are eager to get pregnant. I shared with her this little bit o'wisdom:
 
Whatever lessons you need to learn, your kids will teach them to you.

Lack patience? You have 18+ years to figure it out. And you will definitely improve over time. Bad with money? Unless you have no desire to be a good parent, you learn the basics- QUICKLY. A little too passive? Let someone mistreat your kid, and then behold the lion in you as he/she comes out effortlessly.

I was a lot more of a free-spirit prior to motherhood. Having my daughter made me a much more focused, driven person. I have to be focused to keep her on a schedule, let her know that actions have consequences, to purchase the right things at the grocery store, so I don't have to return every other day ... There is just a lot more intent with my actions now. I exercise forethought like I never have.

Likewise, I know some women who were more rigid, focused personalities, that ended up becoming much more relaxed after parenthood. Certain things cannot be changed, and letting the chips falls where they may is often the best decision a parent can make. Letting go can give a parent more peace than anything else.

Some evenings, after the baby has been put to bed, you realize that your kid is clean, healthy, and sleeping soundly, and no matter how awful the day was, you and Baby survived it. And you relish the fact that nothing else matters, other than you and Baby made it through the day. Other days, you spend the entire day, successfully checking off every item of your to-do list, and even making a dent in the next day's tasks. And you end up relishing that, too. It's a weird, unpredictable life, when you have children.

Parenthood is just random like that.

No comments:

Post a Comment