What’s not to love about being a mom? Ok, so those diapers can be pretty nasty and
I don’t get to spend as much time in my bed as I would like, but what is that
compared to unlimited cuddling, sticky baby kisses and mommy parking
spaces? I rest my case. Plus, as mom’s we even have our own
holiday! How cool is that?
In honor of this upcoming celebration of our fertility I
thought I would share with you some of the less obvious benefits of
motherhood. While the awesomeness of new
baby smell and advanced boarding on airplanes are fairly highly celebrated
mom-bonuses, there are other advantages of being a mom that are often
overlooked. So as you plan out your menu for breakfast in bed and try to find
space in your scrapbooks for the kiddie art work you are sure to be receiving shortly,
take a moment to reflect on these, and all the other, awesome things about
being a mom:
Regressing
Regressing
Once in a while it is really nice to take a break from being
an adult and just act like a kid. You
know, forget about your credit card bill and play on the swings at the
park. Screw the grass stains and just
roll down the hill. Leave the dirty
dishes on the table and go play hide and seek.
Yet if you don’t have kids and do these things on your own, people think
you are crazy. So how awesome is it
that, as a mom you have carte blanche to act like a kid whenever the mood
strikes you? Suddenly amusement parks
become much more fun, at Halloween you have an excuse to dress up and trick or
treat again, and at parades you get to pick up the candy thrown your way (for
your kid of course). It’s the best of
both worlds – all the fun of being a kid without the early bed time. Being a mom rocks!
Learning
Being a mom is like taking a crash course in, well,
everything. From learning new languages
(baby talk counts as a language right?) to learning how to get a ketchup stain
out of white carpet, everyday is an adventure.
Our kids constantly challenge us to be the best we can be, whether they
are trying our patience by taking 40 minutes to eat their dinner, or teaching
us generosity by asking us to share the last brownie. But above all they teach us what love really
is – getting up at 3am to sooth a crying baby when you only went to sleep at
1:30, spending 3 hours searching for a missing blankie without complaint, and
holding someone’s hand while they have a poop.
This is my favourite part of being a mom – no, not the holding hand
while they poop part – the part where our kids teach us what love really
is. It is through being a mom that I
have learned to be more compassionate, more patient, and more kind then I ever
knew I could be. That, and I learned
that I am a halfway decent blog writer.
Who knew?
Camaraderie
From the moment your belly starts announcing to the world
that you are preggers you automatically become a part of this amazing network
of moms. No matter where you are or what
you are doing, other moms will have your back.
Have a cranky baby on an airplane?
The mom behind you plays peek-a-boo with your little one to try and help
out. Waiting longer than expected at the
doctor’s office? A fellow mom shares her
snack of goldfish crackers and apple slices to keep your little one happy. Bored with watching your kid go up and down
the same slide five million times at the park?
Strike up a conversation with a fellow mom about the best time to start
potty training and you have a new best friend.
My point is, as a mom you are never alone. Not because you have a two year old
permanently attached to your hip, but because there are millions of other moms
out there going through exactly the same thing as you. Ok, maybe not exactly, but pretty close. We are all in this together ladies, so when
you see me give you the smile-with-a-head-nod in the parking lot of the grocery
store when you are wheeling out your load of groceries in ridiculous car-shaped
shopping cart, know that I am saying “I know what you are going through – stay
strong, and be proud because you are a mom, and moms rule!”
-Wendy
