“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.”
~ Maya Angelou ~
There’s really not much in this universe that prepared me for the shocking reality of motherhood. Maybe just my own mother’s decent, honest efforts of sprinkling her wisdom words on top of my education and upbringing, but even these fizzle out in front of experience itself. From pregnancy and birth to raising a child, life-altering events keep changing us, women, to such an extent that we may not even recognise ourselves. I hardly remember my life before the last two years that just happened.
I gathered here a few humble tips that could make the transition to motherhood less dramatic (considering there are so many things you’d have to let go, but so many others to embrace).
1. Love vs worries vs you vs him vs all of them at once.
Life happens all at once. So once in a blue moon take a break with the mad rhythm that tends to overwhelm us all, take a long second to step away from it, look at your days as an outsider. Appreciate the ones who are part of your existence, the perks that come with your achievements and pay attention to your own needs to love yourself more so you could give back more than they expect.
2. Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.
I wish I came up with this clever grasping of life, but it was in fact an amazing mother of three, the one and only Meryl Streep. Motherhood is a journey which requires you to leave behind all the unimportant bits that may carry with them a heavy weight. A child is a game changer, learn the rules and play fair. Don’t waste time on things that don’t truly matter, our days are counted…
3. A child is a bag of treats.
Delicious, hooking treats. Have them all at once and you’ll get overwhelmed with flavours, have little and you will miss on some goodies. Make sure you spend enough time with your children so you discover everything they have to give, spend little and you could neglect the most delightful perks of life…
4. Remember your own mother.
If you were lucky enough to witness a good mother in action, then it’s now high time for you to remember all the good you’ve seen in her and pay her a tribute this way. I always heard mothers know best and now I know why: because they judge everything according to their children’s wellbeing, safety and happiness…It’s the little things you’d think, but it’s the very core of life…
5. When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.
Again, I wish it was me coming up with this wise quote, but it was Sophia Loren who spoke the truth here. Once you become a mum, you embark on a journey which is the road to unselfishness, your ‘all’ becomes your children’s ‘all’ and they are all you’ll be thinking about.
6. Once a mother, always a runner.
You’ll learn to sacrifice it all so you could gain it all back…
You’ll earn the ultimate form of happiness. The smiles, the cuddles, the first words, the innocent looks, the love they’ll be inundating you with will make it all worth it. And you’ll gladly sacrifice it all and more, starting with some beloved ‘me time‘. You’ll be a runner and you’ll bring home marathons medals, because you’ll be the champion of their life…
7. They’ll be your teachers when the books can’t teach you.
There are no greater lessons in life than the ones you’ll receive from your children. There will be no better times to learn than when they learn themselves. You won’t grow old, but relive your life through theirs…
Motherhood: all love begins and ends there.
~ Robert Browning ~
Thanks to Mamas and Papas for the lovely Liberty changing bag which hides more than baby and toddler’s essentials, as it can very well contain little monsters so useful on buggy nap times, emergency makeup mums always need, wallets, sunglasses, snacks, water bottles, happy keys, coloured pencils to tame down the tantrumous moments, thy phone and all other engaging gadgets adults love so much plus millions of crumbs that always come in handy when feeding the pigeons. I’d keep a close eye on Mamas and Papas’ clever travel section which is here to ease on our away busy days.
Discover more on London’s Royal parks and Mamas and Papas inspirational plan for the outdorsy parent by clicking on the banner below…
