05/12/2024
My babies aren’t babies anymore, and only recently I regained my sense of self after feeling lost in the motherhood shuffle for years.
I never debated whether or not I would be a mom one day, but I never thought about how much it would change my life. Now that they’re 4 and 6, in school full time, and becoming more self sufficient, I can let go of some of the anxieties that consumed me for a long time. Their grandmother always said, “Once you become a mom, you never stop worrying about your children.” She’s right. But the person that I didn’t worry about enough was myself.
So today, on my sixth Mother’s Day, my mantra is,
Don’t lose yourself.
Many parts of me were definitely dimmed when my motherhood responsibilities took priority, and if it goes on long enough, it takes a lot longer to regain that sense of self. A part of me was telling myself not to lose that fire. You’re still the fun, vibrant, intelligent, confident, and social woman that you are. And now you have more life wisdom to propel you forward to do whatever it is that you want to do.
Find your mom tribe and rediscover how good it feels to be able to share and be vulnerable because this journey can sometimes feel isolating. I’m very happy and thankful for the many friendships I’ve gained post motherhood. I wish that for every mom - to be able to not just feel emotional support in their journey, but to also feel a genuine connection with people in a way that makes them feel rejuvenated. I remember having a full on dance party in my home with 5 other friends when my baby was maybe 5 months old. He was sleeping through the night, I had a few girlfriends over after his 7pm bedtime and we just had a blast. Since then, the toddler phase consumed us; we all had second pregnancies, and our dance parties were no more. I now feel like I have the capacity to do that again.
Hope you’ll feel pampered and reenergized in whatever way that you may need today.
Happy Mothers Day, mamas.