3 Motherhood Reflections

MotherhoodFamily

May 20

Mother’s Day just passed and I celebrated 3 years of mothering such an amazing daughter. Although so much has changed in our lives, I’m grateful for the strong bond that remains between us. She has taught me so much and we are forever growing, together. In honor of this third year, I’ve decided to share three motherhood reflections. These are not in a specific order of importance.

Life is full of learning environments. There’s always something to learn no matter where you go nor your developmental stage. As my child’s first teacher, I recognize the necessity to be conscious of each direct and indirect environment she enters. This could be at home, watching TV, playing at the playground, or any other everyday activity. Three questions I ask myself periodically are (1) what developmental stage is my daughter in, (2) what’s happening around us that we can learn from and (3) is there anything specific I want her to grasp at this stage? This could be a marriott of things (i.e. learning to walk, learning to protect herself from predators, learning to read or learning how to express herself to others). Acknowledge your child’s present developmental stage to best support them while remembering to follow their lead. When signs of interest or curiosity present guide them as you let them explore. Encourage them. Support them. Challenge them. Talk to them about their experiences and thoughts. This requires great patience, love, attention, consistency and discipline.
Care for yourself. It shows them how to care for themselves. Many of you mothers know how quick caring for others takes priority. It happens in such a way that you unintentionally place yourselves on the back burner. Yet the welfare of your mental/emotional, spiritual and physical health should forever be nurtured. Taking the time to schedule something just for yourself helps alleviate the consistent demands in life. Everyone needs a moment to whoosah and recenter. These breaks help to get you through one moment to the next. I am working on this daily. Telling your children how they should live -lip service- will not last in the long run. Them witnessing it through your actions will. They may not always understand it at the time but it will be something they grow to value. Take a quiet walk, spend some time away from the home, or have a mommy moments. It’ll help you be more present later. Showing ways them ways they can care for themselves is a simple reminder that their well being is important.
It’s okay to cry in front of your children. Honestly, I’m not a fan of my daughter seeing me cry. But she has literally seen me in one of the hardest seasons of my life. I’ve had to accept how healthy it is to cry in front of her. Feeling pain and crying out is a reminder that we are alive. It’s apart of our human nature. And no man is omit from pain and sadness. Shucks, even Jesus wept. During my weeping moments it became a sweet time where we embraced one another. No words often times. Just tears, silence then me finding the strength to say (and believe) “Mommy is okay. Everything will be okay”. Although life has a fantastic way of knocking us down it’s what you do afterwards that counts most. Embracing my moments of pain led to being fully determined. I encourage you, too, to rise although you want to hide, dance even through tears and breathe even if you’re only gasping for air. Nonetheless, continue picking yourself up! You’ve got this!