The Selfish Side of Motherhood

Have you ever been that mom? The one that is wandering the aisles of the grocery store, using every last bit of the week’s energy to fill the pantry…infant fussy for a bottle, toddler tugging at your shirt for every toy on the shelf? The mom that finally makes it out the store, just to realize the amount of laundry to be done, the dinner to be cooked, the bathrooms to clean? I’m sure we have all been that mom at some point in time….I also know that we all have heard about the selflessness that comes along with motherhood, but what we don’t hear too much about is the selfish side of it all. I’m not talking about the those few minutes at night we get to indulge in a glass of wine and a hot bath or about those girls nights that come few and far between, I’m talking things so, so much deeper.

Think back to that long day, back to that moment when dinner is done and the bathrooms are clean. At the end of that seemingly endless day, when things have finally started to wind down and it’s time to tuck everyone in. Remember that feeling you got when you looked down at your most precious gifts, drifting off into a dream with you by their side, remember the amount of peace that moment brought to you? It’s these moments that are the most special, most serene, the most selfish moments we as mothers get to experience. We hold the kiss that heal the boo boo’s, the tickles that get the best of belly laughs, and a warm embrace no other can provide.

What most don’t realize is that as mother’s we get the greatest of moments with our children. We get a bond with them that no other can replace, a bond that no other can replicate. We get the ups and we get the downs. We get the wiped tears, the mended hearts, and the perfectly placed band aids. The giggles, the grins, the belly laughs that most would take for granted….we get it all. We get the chance to make them happy, make their dreams come true. We get to show them the beauty in their lives and the beauty in others. We get to experience an unconditional love. We get to experience the great things in their lives that come with passing days. They are ours and we get to love them forever. So so much, we get.

At the end of the day know that these moments that only a mother would understand, are what’s making our children’s lives so magical…these are the moments they’re growing from, learning to love from and learning to live from. Know that you are the reason for their presence and you are the reason for their happiness. Take every single selfish minute of it in, you deserve it more than any other.

_______

This is the first post of one of our newest contributors, Cassie! We are looking forward to many more great posts from this awesome momma!