I have been a mother for almost seven years. This role has taught me a lot, but not in the ways I might have imagined when I first started out. As I reflect back over the past seven years, I have realized just how rewarding it has been.
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF MY COMFORT ZONE
An introvert at heart, I often missed out on fun opportunities due to my needing time away from the crowd. This has changed greatly since becoming a mom. Often I look at myself now and say “who is this person?” Just recently, I have become my daughter’s Daisy Troop leader which is very out of character for me. The even crazier part of it is that I am enjoying it. The other day, I found myself contemplating whether I wanted to chair an event for my daughter’s school’s PTO. Again, “who is this person?”
USING TIME MORE EFFICIENTLY
I often wonder how we spent our weekends before having children. I can only imagine how I would fill that time in retrospect! Since having children, time has become considerably more valuable to me, and I am pretty choosy on how I use it. In the past, I may have done things that I didn’t particularly want to do or didn’t have time for in order to avoid hurting people’s feelings. Now, I really make the most of our weekend time together and only say yes to things that we can do. I try to avoid overbooking a Saturday and stressing everyone out. Time is truly my most valuable possession. I have become a multi-tasking fool for the day to day tasks, too!
MAKING NEW FRIENDS
And not just new friends – best friends. The moms that have been alongside me since Day One of exiting the hospital probably know me better than some of the friends I have had for 15 years. There is something to be said for the conversations that occur at the playground, around the bouncy house, the waiting room at dance class or at play dates. We do some heavy duty sharing and in turn this leads to more meaningful friendships. I am so thankful for these new friendships and what they have brought to me and my family’s life.
I can see in my everyday interactions that I have changed for the better and am thankful for the experiences I have had because of it.
How have you grown as a person since having children?
