In honor of Mothers Day, I want to pay tribute to Moms of
all kinds. Lets face it there are very few jobs that are as thankless as the
job of a Mom. Being a Mom is something
we usually fall into without being at all qualified to do so. One big reason I think we are so unprepared
for motherhood is cause frankly… how exactly do you go about training for
something that will take up every last morsel of patience and perseverance you
could possibly have? My sister-in-law is due any day with her and my little brothers’
first baby. At her baby shower, we were able to bestow upon her our very best
new motherly advice. I will never forget
the best piece of advice I learned from my Mom. One of the things she used to say to me is
that we never gain patience until we really need it, and that just when we
think we cannot take anything more, we are always able to muster a little more
stamina to hang in there for one more challenge. I was
always so concerned that I needed to “practice” having patience, so that I
could handle my kids when they were at the most challenging years, the problem
with that theory is that you never know exactly when that most challenging year
is going to be. The other big problem
with gauging challenges is that- challenges or at least our perception of them
change, as our lives and relationships change. Looking with hindsight its easy
for me to say that while I was pregnant with my second son Christian, I was personally
the most happy I had been up to that point. I was fulfilled and comfortable and
thoroughly engaged in life and learning and growing, and yet I have been known
to beat myself up for the way I handled my children when I was a new Mom. I was
21 years old and had two babies’ one newborn and one 15 months old, two little
boys who I adored, but who challenged me at every turn. I decided a long time ago to forgive myself
for my shortcomings and focus on being kind to myself as well as loving my kids
and enjoying them in every moment. I cannot say it was easy to do, and that
guilt and regret hasn’t been a part of my life. Those same 2 little boys are
now 24 and 23 years old, I still see them as my boys… I still adore them and
brag on them and love them. As long as I
am their Mom, my unconditional love for them will never fade, and every moment
I have to spend with them, I absolutely cherish. I now have added a daughter
and another son to the bunch, and I can honestly say that with each one there
have been challenges that I really thought would break me, that would be the
end of me for sure. At those times I go back to that little bit of motherly
advice that was given to me, I count down the days before the youngest is 18 and
try to figure out how much time we have to “prepare” for the grandkids.
