In an age when people can share nearly every aspect of their lives online, we get small glimpses into it all. This lends refreshing transparency to a role that is familiar to so many of us – motherhood! Fellow mamas have opened the doors into their (sometimes) messy and chaotic lives, to show the challenges and rewards associated with being a parent. It certainly isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but on Mother’s Day we celebrate every success, every lesson learned and every ounce of love that fills the relationship between a mom and her child(ren).
The 7 Things That Make Motherhood Wonderful
1. THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE ANOTHER'S PERSON'S LIFE
The relationship between a parent and a child is one of the most important bonds in life. It lays the foundation for a child’s personality and could help your baby in their development and in how they form other relationships. Raising a child allows you to teach them love, compassion, empowerment, honesty, and a variety of other values. And, Mom, you have a special role. You can impart all your wisdom! It can feel as if having a child gives you a new sense of purpose.
2. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
“I never knew I could love someone so much.” It’s a quote familiar to most parents when talking about meeting their baby for the first time. That initial, overwhelming love you feel pour through your body for this little being who is yours. Being a mother means you’re responsible, whole-heartedly, for the life of another, and most parents will tell you they experience all the ways you can love someone as they’ve never experienced before.
3. EXPERIENCING CHILDHOOD AGAIN
Being a mom means you get to look at the world through your child’s eyes and see it in a new way. Here they are, feeling everything for the first time and you have the privilege to watch them wonder, explore and observe as their little minds work to understand a new concept. You sit on the floor, act silly, color the sidewalk with hues of the rainbow and watch Saturday morning cartoons without worrying about how you look...because it doesn’t matter! Watching your child figure out the world is pure magic and you get a front row seat.
4. HEARING YOUR CHILD LAUGH
It’s one of the simplest things - a tiny, high-pitched cadence of sounds that you grow accustomed to. Hearing your child’s laughter and knowing that they are safe and happy can be one of the most calming, reassuring, and infectious noises in the world. Not only do you get an inside look at the things that makes your child tick, but you hear all of the funny, wild things that come out of their mouth and help their sense of humor flourish.
5. THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY
When you become a mom, you join a special club. Other mothers understand your struggles and challenges. You have unique access to each other’s lives. Having a child changes your life. Whether through adoption, fostering or biologically, once you take on the role of “Mom”, your world centers around a totally dependent being. Sometimes, you’ll mess up or question yourself, and that’s okay. Other moms understand and can relate to this. They know it’s a natural part of parenthood.
6. SNUGGLES
We all know kids can be difficult – tantrums, tempers and the occasional bad attitude - but those quiet moments, when you get to snuggle in close to your baby, are precious beyond measure. Moms usually know their children more intimately than any other person in the world. They know their sounds; they know how to read their tones and they know their smells. Laying close and experiencing all senses of having your child snuggled up nearby is a small, but a special part of being a mom.
7. THE LITTLE MOMENTS
There are moments that are a part of everyday life that truly matter the most.
- Feeding your child breakfast or softly waking him/her up in the morning
- Reading bedtime stories
- Looking up in the rearview mirror and catching a smile
- Noticing when your child says something profound and the small hints of when they begin to grow up
- Tickling a tummy
- Singing songs together
- Changing a diaper!
All of these can be opportunities to bond. Make diaper time happy time by distracting your little one and making sure they’re dry and supported, protected and soft with a snug fit. We know how important these little moments truly are to keep them smiling. Recognizing that each opportunity to bond helps slow life down, so you can stop waiting for the next big thing and just enjoy each day as it comes.
The changes you go through when you become a mom - how to help a tiny human grow, experiencing a new kind of unconditional love, looking at things with the awe and wonder through a child’s eye and appreciating the little things in life - are just a few ways your life changes and becomes more enriched as a parent ! Most moms will tell you they become a better, happier person all around because there’s now another, little life looking up and depending on them.
You’re doing great, moms. We love and appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. We hope you feel it every day, but especially today on Mother’s Day. Thank you for everything and Happy Mother’s Day.
