I must have been 16, maybe 17…. Locked in one of many teen vs. mom battles of wills and I thought to myself “when I have a daughter, I will NEVER treat her like this!!” cue the heavenly orchestra because really? I KNEW BEST.
That sentiment was followed by many other variations:
“I will never say that….”
“Because I said so?…. What kind of B.S. is that anyway?”
“I will never make my daughter wear that….”
“Curfew? What curfew? I will TRUST my children….”
“My brother has different rules? I will treat my children the SAME….”
So, it was surprising to me when, the moment my small girl was placed in my arms, the world shifted on its axis. I always knew I would love her. But I didn’t know I would LOVE her. Because no one can really prepare you for what that feels like – the emotion that sweeps your soul – the commitment you make to yourself, to her – in that split second, “I will take care of you, baby…. Even when you fight me.”
And I knew.
I knew that all of those teen angst moments would come back to haunt me. I will be hard on my children – because I love them. I will have high expectations for them – because they deserve that. There are rules. Because they need them to shape their sense of right and wrong. And no, they don’t like some of them – but you know what? I can make those rules…. Because I said so.
It surprised me to realize I had this in me. It surprised me to realize that while I was wrong all that time, I really just didn’t know – how could I? And you know what? My kids will feel the same way. And someday… I imagine, they will be surprised to realize that I too, like my Mom (and Dad) really did know what I was doing…
What has been most surprising to you about Motherhood?
As a side note: Other things that I have found surprising?
- When your child is sick or hurting, you can and will tolerate anything – even vomit in you hair.
- I’m not nearly as patient as I thought I was
- I can operate on 4 hours of sleep a night. For a very long time.
- The love you feel as a parent is fierce. Like I-will-knock-you-down kind of fierce. I hope I am never tested.
- I believe kids are born with a certain personality – and no amount or ‘kind’ of parenting will change that
This Mother’s Day conversation is sponsored by a company I love (and use!) Tiny Prints. I love that they have given me some beautiful things to think about as Mother’s Day approaches. All of their Mother’s day cards(and Father’s day cards too!) are fully customizable and can be sent straight to the recipient. You can even schedule the cards to be sent ahead of time too.
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