I’m A Mom, But I’m Not ONLY A Mom

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Motherhood doesn’t have to be my everything, but being a mother is now part of everything that defines me - and I kinda love it.

When Mother’s Day rolls around I start to get a little sentimental and do a little reflecting on motherhood and about my life as mom. Thinking back to four years ago when I was pregnant with my son, I jumped right into the new role of being a mother. Like many moms-to-be, I was excited about everything related to babies and motherhood, and it slowly started to infiltrate my life.I'm A Mom, But I'm Not ONLY A Mom

Fast forward to life with a 3 year old and an 11 month old – motherhood has seeped into every single nook and cranny of my life. I can’t think of one thing about me from before kids that has gone unchanged by my role of being a mother. Am I still a bookworm? You bet! But I now occasionally read books about parenting topics. Do I still love to cook and bake? Heck yes! But more often than not it’s in the form of family friendly meals.  Are working out and running still things I enjoy? Of course! But on those runs I’m accompanied by two giggling kids in a jogging stroller. Nothing in my life has been untouched by the role of motherhood.I'm A Mom, But I'm Not ONLY A Mom

I recently came to the realization that I am not that same person I was before I had kids — I am better.  And guys, I’m not saying I’m better than someone who isn’t a mom, or better than you or better than anyone else as a mom.  What I mean is that I have evolved as a person to become the best version of me, all because I became a mom. Motherhood has changed me for the better. I am the perfect mix of “me” and “mom” and I’m pretty darn proud of it.

motherhood doesn’t have to be my everything, but being a mother is now part of everything that defines me. 

So what does that mean for my life? Is it now defined by my role as a mother?  Well, yes…and no. Obviously I am a mom, but I am not ONLY a mom. For me, being a mom isn’t my sole identity but it is a huge part of my identity. I have other interests, hobbies, skills – those things make up parts of me just as motherhood does. I can’t just focus on that one aspect of myself when I am made up of so many others.  I’m a mom with two beautiful children who loves to read novels, indulges in pizza and ice cream, is passionate about traveling the world, adores Broadway musicals, likes running (most days), and enjoys drinking iced tea on a hot summer day. I love these things because I am a mom AND because I am me.

I guess I’ve just come to realize that motherhood doesn’t have to be my everything, but being a mother is now part of everything that defines me – and I kinda love it.

 

1 COMMENT

  1. This touched me so much. I too love being a mom. A mom to kids I gave birth to, a mom to the children my cousin gave birth to after she passed away, a mom to my husband’s kids that someone else gave birth to, and a mom to the children in my counseling practice who have moms who struggle. Motherhood is a part of who I am; it was always there in embryo within me and it blossomed when my first child came down from heaven.

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