Guest Post: Mom

Thank you to Mom FITting it All In for guest blogging for me today! I am still loving soaking up precious moments with my little baby boy and was so pleased that she wanted to offer a post to the blog. Enjoy!

   I have the great honor of being a “guest blogger” for Mrs. S. I am so excited and eager to do this for her while she gets to bond with the most precious baby. With that in mind I started thinking “oh she is a mommy” – I can remember that overwhelming love I felt with our son the first time seeing him through the glass – I knew that moment that our world would never be the same I was his MOM he needed me he loved me and oh boy I was so ready for this.

Being a mom what does that mean? To me the list is endless but ONE of my favorite things about being a mom is seeing life through the eyes of our children. It is like waking up to a new day – a new BRIGHT day – having a purpose larger them myself. Every time we take the kids somewhere, eat something, buy something it is just so new to see it from their point of view.

A few weeks ago we went on a weekend mini-vacation to the Safari Park. Now I have been to other zoos and parks more times then I count however this time topped even the first time I went as a child. Our kids were running up and down the path looking at every animal, every cage. They wanted us to read all of the name plates and signs for them. They were just grinning from ear to ear and wanted to absorb in every detail. They even got the biggest kick out of the 25 cent duck food that we bought. And you know what??? Every step of the way seemed like my first time too! That is what kids do for you – they have you enjoying all of the LITTLE and BIG things!

Now having children is not all flowers and ups there are down times, whining times and fit throwing times as well – but I have to say that I don’t like these moments as much as the FLOWERS, HUGS and SMILES but they are part of me being a MOM to two small children. As they grow everything becomes more: their love for you, for each other, their vocabulary, their adventurous side is MORE but that means the emotions are MORE, their opinions are more (why does my daughter refuse to wear certain clothing…) their imitation skills of YOU are more. This has put so much in perspective for me. Being a mother is taking everything good and bad and growing with it and learning from it to ensure that our babies grow up wonderful and that I am learning on this journey too ( what being a parent doesn’t automatically put me in the I know everything phase???).  I stated “imitation skills”. This SCARED me and is forcing me to be more patient and understanding of our babies. I have heard my daughter on more than one occasion “talking” “disciplining” her doll. IT scared the crap out of me – do I sound like that? Do I say that to her? Do I? OH NO. So that put me in check right away because if I am seeing her like that she is seeing me like that. It has turned (okay a slow process) me in the way I talk to my children, love my children and discipline my children. I get down on a knee or chair to talk to them (it doesn’t always start out this way but I am trying to catch myself earlier to change to this) – it puts me on their level and makes them focus on me and what I am saying. FOCUS is the biggest problem we have so I need to ensure that I have their FULL attention – this decreases my yelling, repeating and getting upset that they are not listening! But there are great “imitations” too! Like our son who wants to be little adventurous off road biking dude just like his dad, our daughter who is a neat freak like her mommy – she is always helping me clean up, our children desire to read, read, read because mom and dad do it as often as we can, sitting down at dinner time and they both ask us “How was your day mom/dad?” “How was work today?” now that makes my heart melt.

Seeing LIFE through their eyes is something you can’t put into words other then UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  There is no love like the love of a child.

So to me being a mom is living life to the fullest with your children and the unconditional love you receive in return is priceless.

Sincerely,

Sharee' M. Andrade, PHR 

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."  - William Shakespeare