My Truth About Motherhood

If there is one thing I wish someone had told me about motherhood, it is this: your child will force you to face your flaws and become a better person. Your child will not only make you work on yourself as a whole, but want to change yourself.

I wish I'd known how proud I'd be when my oldest child said her first word at 23 months. I always assumed I'd have a perfectly normal kid. No one told me that sometimes, kids aren't perfect. Who knew?! My daughter had/has a speech delay, she's about eight months behind the curve.

I wish I'd been prepared for how hard and how often she would cry. I wish I'd known there'd be nights I wouldn't sleep AT ALL. I never thought I'd spend over a year feeding her peanut butter sandwiches and chicken because that's all she'd eat. I never knew that a little cut on the forehead would send me into a full-on panic, half-convinced she'd need stitches (when in fact, it scabbed over and healed within a week), making me the saddest mommy ever.

I wish someone would have told me how hard I'd have to control my anger every time she disobeyed me. I didn't know how hard I'd have to work on not criticizing her at every turn; my mom did this to me for years and I always swore I'd never let that happen to my daughter. I struggle with this daily.

The truth about motherhood is that it shakes you to your core. It brings every imaginable emotion to the surface and forces you to stare at it, like a gaping wound. It makes you acknowledge your flaws and your strengths. It turns you into a lioness, protecting her cub on a very primal level. It makes you question your abilities as not just a parent, but as a member of society.

But what I really wish someone had warned me about...is how I'd have to choke back tears of joy and pride when, after a long day of potty training, reading nine Dr. Seuss books three times each, and a screaming match over eating two bites of chicken for dinner, my three-year-old would run up behind me on the floor, throw her arms around my neck and say, "Mama! Mama! I love you."

Check out these links to understand the truth about motherhood...
Advice from the Girlfriends
The Parent Bloggers Network