Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Moms Are Heroes: Today at the Park

Today at the park I was pushing Cohen in a baby swing when a tall, friendly woman strolled up with her little girl and hollered, "Can we join you?" I replied, "Of course!" I am not the type to strike up conversation with strangers, but I am so glad she came over to play and chat. I didn't catch her name, but her daughter's name was from the movie Fiddler on the Roof and we bonded over the fact that both of our children have Hebrew names.

She asked how old my boy was and when I responded with 10 months she said, "That was around the age I actually started liking my daughter."

I giggled politely as she went on, but I immediately knew I would agree with her. I had just never had the guts to say it out loud! She expressed anger toward all women before her who made it look so easy. She talked about how she was grateful for her baby, but didn't really feel she had done the right thing by getting pregnant up until recently. Yowza! She was bold and unfiltered and I wish more of us were!

I'm not saying we should be telling everyone we know how HORRIBLE being a mother is. It is NOT horrible. For me, at least. Is it freaking hard, exhausting, overwhelming, and often miserable? Maybe. That's why every mother forgets how hard it is by month 18, so we can't really blame them for lying to us. That's also why every mother needs a mother friend. Someone to relate to. Someone who understands that you're sleep deprived, nursing away all your nutrients and sanity, and can't make it up a set of stairs without wheezing.

If your only mom friend has a perfect baby who seems to sleep 12 hours straight every night and never cry, you need to find more mom friends. Go to story time, get to know the ladies in your neighborhood. Chances are, they need you, too! Actually, chances are, the perfect baby mom reeeallly needs you, too.

So what's my point? Mom's are incredible. We work and pray and hope for a precious little babe and when they finally come we work and pray and hope for their happiness. Our guts flip every time they cry and our hormones are all wacko for months. Moms literally forget about themselves. I believe I am learning humility and sacrifice. I am grateful for a God who trusts me with this sweet little soul. I thank my Heavenly Father for a baby that is full of life and has so much love to give. May we all give ourselves more credit, moms or not. Like I've said before, no one knows the crap you put up with better than you do! So be a little easier on yourself. And be a little easier on everyone around you!

Thanks for reading!

And if you ever need someone to relate to, check out these ladies. They crack me up and I love their #momtruth videos every Friday.

8 comments:

  1. I have always loved Emmy, but I like her more and more the older she gets. Sometimes I feel bad because she was a very easy baby and continues to be an easy toddler. So, sometimes I have a hard time relating to the really hard stuff. But, even with a fairly easy baby, transitioning to motherhood was so hard and I think my own Hormones, expectations, anxieties, and insecurities made it hard than it had to be.

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    1. I agree. For me, the hardest thing is being completely selfless during such a huge transition. It is all so new and can be very demanding. I also think it has made my love for Cohen grow at a very fast pace, though, because I have worked so hard to take care of him and keep him happy and healthy.

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  2. I think it's perfectly legitimate to have to fall in love with your baby (since that's what happened to me) and it's good to hear there are other moms who had to too, because that's not what social media makes it sound like :).

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    1. I know, right! If you think about it, your baby is a complete stranger when they are born. Now I'm definitely in love (most days) :)

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  3. Preston has gotten harder as he got older because he moves a lot more and I just get really tired trying to keep up with him, but he has also gotten so much confidence more entertaining. It's fun to talk to him and interact with him. Those hormonal changes at the beginning definitely make life difficult. I think it'll be even crazier with my next one. Oh boy. ��

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    1. I'm afraid it will be worse with the next one, too! At least I'll have the confidence that I've done it once before. I have a feeling Cohen will be a little like Preston. He has SO much energy. I can't wait for him to talk! Emmy is so fun to talk to.

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  4. Who thought daylight savings was a good idea??? I mean come on. Remember how I was the worst and totally bragged that Sawyer took 3 hour long naps? Well hellos 45 minute naps I don't like you. You make my baby fussy. I love being Sawyers mom. I still like him even though he's been fussy,but it has been a hard 8 weeks. I know I'm new at this but it's good to hear that so many mommies have to fall in love with there babies because that's what's happening here. Also your such a good mom. I totally look up to you. I also wish we lived right next door to each other, because sometimes a girl just needs her best friend, especially when your husband is broken aka another baby 😜 Love you so much!

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  5. Also I've been meaning to comment since you wrote this, and just now found the time. #yaymoms!!

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