What Being A Mom Has Taught Me

It’s been only a short stint for me as a mother, but the past 7 months has taught me so much about myself and about life in general. As I celebrated my first Mothers Day, I realized what Mother’s Day really meant. I realized the importance of celebrating mothers.

To me it’s sad we only celebrate mothers day once a year. Mothers should be celebrated every day. As a mother we do so much, and so much goes unnoticed. Except for on one day of the year, when we are celebrated and served. But the truth is, we aren’t mothers for only one day of the year, we are moms 24/7.

I am not saying that we need gifts every day for being a mom, or a spa day, or breakfast in bed, but we do need to be celebrated. Whether it’s with a “Thank you” or “You’re awesome!” I have only been a mom for a short period of time, but in that short span of time I have realized the challenges, the sleeplessness, the sacrifices, the joy, and the struggles motherhood brings. I only wish I would have appreciated my mother more growing up.

Now that I have a taste of being a mom, I understand all that she sacrificed for me, all that she gave of herself, talents, and resources for me. Motherhood is a gift and a blessing. I am honored to be baby R’s mom. And I have learned that being a mom is the most rewarding job, but at the same time the most challenging and at times unappreciated and unrecognized.

As a mother I was surprised to know there were many small things my mom did on a regular basis that she never was thanked for, but did them anyways. There are small tasks that as a young child or infant, we either didn’t know how to say “Thank you” or never understood the significance of them.

So I am now saying thank you!! Thank you mom for…….Changing My Diaper – Reading Me Stories – Teaching Me About Jesus – Praying For Me – Believing in Me – Playing my favorite Dolls with Me – Singing to Me – Telling Me Stories –

We might be thinking, well that’s what a mom is supposed to do. Yes it may be, but she didn’t have to. We do it because we love our kids and we love to see them happy. We don’t expect a thank you for any of it. When I thanked my mom for those simple things she did for me, she replied “Well that’s just what a mom does honey.”

Well that may be true, but in other jobs we are given bonuses, raises, evaluations and thanked. I realized that I would never want to work in a place where I was never told good job or thanks, but as a mother we do it all the time. And we never think twice about it. I have learned I don’t wait for a thank you after changing R’s diaper or feeding and dressing her.

I know “it’s what a mom does” but it’s not what a mom has to do. We just do it because of our great love. It’s what makes being a mom such a hard job. As a mom we sometimes feel we are not doing anything, because we don’t always get recognition. Why? Because “It’s just what a mom does.” It’s expected. It’s the one job where even though we don’t get a bonus or raise, or even paid, we still wake up every morning and be a mom.

I learned this made motherhood hard for me. I am a motivated, type A personality, a go-getter. I like tasks and feeling like I am moving forward and getting things down. I learned very quickly, that sometimes being a mom you don’t feel like you are doing anything or accomplishing anything. There’s no one there to tell you “Hey that looks good” or “Did you get those assigned tasks done?” etc.

We do the same motions every day, and this made it hard for me. I have learned though that all “my tasks” are actually getting somewhere. Baby R is growing, healthy, meeting milestones, and being more active. We see rewards of our job in our children. Their smiles, laughter, personalities, talents, etc.

I have learned that being a mom is hard, because in today’s society we are rarely viewed as significant and important. Motherhood isn’t looked at as a job, but I have learned it is a job. That what we do, even those small things, like laundry and braiding hair is important. It’s showing our love and commitment to our kids. Clean clothes may seem like a no brainer, but let’s be honest there are days we don’t want to clean the dirty cloth diapers or onesies or socks, but we do. Why? Because it’s just what moms do.

We do it without being asked. We do it without expecting a “Thank you” or a raise. I have learned that being a mom has changed my life, helped me grow, and shown me how much more I need to give up in my life. I have learned that being a mom is hard, but worth it.

Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit

Was motherhood hard for you? Do you feel appreciated?