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Motherhood By Lara
Published with Permission of the Author
"Mom, may I please have some breakfast!?!" I know the voice well. I roll over, open one eye and slowly focus on the rather desperate face of my five-year old, David. Though the words he uses are extremely polite, his tone is clear - what he really means is "Feed me now!! I'm starving!"
David is my daily alarm clock.
Like many other people, I had a very unrealistic view of what motherhood would be like. In fact, not only did I have unrealistic assumptions concerning motherhood, I also had misconceptions concerning labour and childbearing. My thought process went something like this: "Most people have more than one child therefore how bad could labour be?". Sounds logical, right? Well, let's just say I found out that bringing children into this world is a lot more painful than I could have imagined - thank goodness for epidurals!
I quickly learned my lesson concerning childbirth however, I still did not fully appreciate the extent of the challenges I would face as a mother. By the time I was 29, I had 3 boys under the age of 5. My life was no longer my own. I was beginning to understand what motherhood was really all about.
I recall one day when I bravely ventured to the grocery store with all three in tow: the baby in a carrier in the front of the shopping cart, the two year old sitting in the shopping cart and the very active five year old (later diagnosed with ADHD) trying to break free of the death-grip I had on his hand. By the time I paid for the (few) groceries I did manage to pick up, I was exhausted as well as a nervous wreck. I knew I would NEVER do that again - it was simply not worth the hassle. Late night trips to the grocery store suddenly became much more appealing - and were much less stressful!
In the years since that shopping trip, my boys have provided me with countless experiences, many of which have been frustrating, aggravating, and embarrassing. Yet as I write this article, the overwhelming feeling that comes to mind is joy. I cannot begin to imagine not having experienced what I have thus far - teaching my boys how to ride their bikes, skiing with my eldest son for the first time last winter, just yesterday having a water-gun fight with all three and today, having little David tell me "Mom, I love you up to high heaven". These are the things that make parenting worthwhile. Don't get me wrong, there have been many frustrating times - like the time the glass door of the stereo unit got broken for the third time in less than two weeks. We finally gave up and just left the door off after that. And I'm certain that there will be many challenges in the future - teenaged boys and cars; the very thought is almost enough to make me want to ground them until they are 25!
The adventure known as motherhood has taught me many things. I have learned to slow down and enjoy simple things, and not to sweat the small stuff. My children are a gift. It is my duty as a parent to provide discipline, to be a good role model, to help guide their emotional growth and to help them achieve their goals. But in addition, I believe it is my duty to let them be kids and to participate with them and help them to enjoy this most precious time in their lives - a time which will be gone in the blink of an eye. Hopefully, my boys will look back on their childhood and think "I'm so lucky - I had a great Mom!". And with any luck, they will each have a little one of their own who will wake them at a very early hour with "Dad, may I please have some breakfast!?!"
Happy Mother's Day!
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