Motherhood Through Little Eyes

I started this series with a short video of the Mamas that inspire me holding signs that said, "Motherhood is ________" and they filled in the blank. So I thought I would ask my girls what "Motherhood is ________" to them.

I asked them to write the final blog post for this series and I gave them very few parameters and did not edit or even read it until just now as I copied and pasted it on this page.

Enjoy.

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Savannah: 

What does being a mom mean to me? As I have pondered this question over the last few weeks floods of vivid memories have come to my mind. The VERY early mornings my mom would get up to give me my chocolate milk as a young kid. The afternoons we would spend at story time at the local library. And the late nights she would spend holding me when the monsters under my bed wouldn’t go away. Being a mom to me doesn’t just mean filling a role in this crazy thing we call life - it means being strong, selfless, available, vulnerable, loud, spunky, driven, humble, protective, being okay with being not okay, and learning flexibility as there is A LOT of change. 

My childhood was filled with wonder, I attribute every single ounce of wonder I experienced to my mom and the other amazing women who walked alongside her. I grew up in a neighborhood that had 10 kids under the age of 10, spending most of our summer days outside riding bikes, playing Avatar, and eating popsicles for breakfast! In these moments I saw all of these moms care for kids who weren’t their own. I saw moms who went to school while raising young children. I saw moms who worked while raising young kids. I saw a group of moms who all leaned on each other on the days when they felt like they were all failing.

P.S. On those days when you felt like you were failing, ALL of the kids were oblivious and were only thinking about when they could have their next popsicle. 

My mom has always been the first person I tell everything to. Had a bad day. Tell my mom. Had a great day. Tell my mom. Broke a nail. Tell my mom. Had someone cut me off in traffic. Tell my mom. This ‘need’ to tell my mom everything has stemmed from her being incredibly intentional about listening and valuing everything my sister and I had to say growing up. Every day after school, she would spend 30 minutes to an hour listening to EVERY detail of my day from friends to teachers, to boys, and then back to friends again. She would listen to my sister talk endlessly about Harry Potter, Minecraft, or the newest math equation she was trying to solve (can you tell which one of us is the Valedictorian). 

If I’m being 100% honest, being a mom sounds incredibly terrifying to me, because I am terrified that I won’t be able to fill the shoes that my mom and so many other amazing women have set out for me. I have often made the joke that if / when I have kids I will give them to my mom to raise until they are like 12 and then I’ll take them from there. Of course, I won’t do that, BUT I can guarantee I will call on my mom for ALL the motherhood advice I can get when I get to that stage in my life!

Randi Jo: 

My sister got to live in the early years of my mom's motherhood journey a little bit longer than I did. Rather I got to experience the parts of my mom's journey where she was raising teenagers, taking my sister to college, and preparing to move me out. My mom has always been extremely open with my sister and me about her struggles, her mountains, her accomplishments, and her good days. This vulnerability doesn't just create a stronger relationship between mother and daughter but also between mother to mother. My mom has always been very intentional about surrounding herself with real, strong, kind, and welcoming mothers. I’m sure this was so that she had a support group of women who she could depend on as it “takes a village” to raise a child. 

However, having these moms in and out of our house, over for dinner, drinks on Fridays, and there for every milestone, affected us children as well. Over time I have come to better understand the conversations they are having and can comprehend the emotion behind their words. I have seen single moms on their hardest days power through in unimaginable ways for their children. I have seen childless moms grieve but I've also gotten the joy of seeing them smile. I've seen motherless mothers on the anniversary of their mothers' passing, and I've seen them honor their legacies. I’ve seen moms of littles drop their kids off simply because they need a break and I've seen the inevitable smile unprompted on their faces as their kids run over to them yelling, “Mom mom look what I did”. I’ve seen moms of bigs struggle with the attitude their kids are throwing, but I see them take joy in the little moments knowing they are fleeting.

I’ve learned a lot about what being a mom means without ever having a kid. The reality of how hard it is to be a mother is not something that is hidden from me in my house. However, it does not scare me, I want to be a mom more than anything in the world. It may be hard, but I’ve also seen how rewarding it is, how the look on their faces makes the tired mom fill with delight. Being a mom to me means that even when it's hard, with the right support around you the joy of children outweighs the hard days and always will. 
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The seeds of love we plant in our children (even on the messiest of days), will live on long after we do. Your beautiful imperfect journey of Motherhood is building a legacy of love!

Keep it up Mama!

YOU are doing GREAT!

I hope this series has blessed you, reminded you that you are not alone on this journey, and most importantly that you are LOVED.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

~ Amanda