#39: Mother.
Making sense of motherhood through words.
As someone who has centered her life around motherhood, or perhaps motherhood centered itself around me; I feel the urge to write something (read anything) that could accurately depict all that motherhood means to me. And yet, I know that my narrative will differ from those around me. My own inability to sugarcoat and glorify this life-changing experience has, at times, left me feeling ‘othered,’ like I am somehow doing motherhood wrong. With time I have come to accept my own truth.
Motherhood is…
Motherhood is watching our bodies expand and then witnessing as a piece of ourselves begins to exist outside of us.
Motherhood is sleepless postpartum nights surrounded by darkness while nursing a little bundle of light.
Motherhood is a lack of bodily autonomy and figuring out where we begin and where our children end.
Motherhood is nursing new babies and negotiating toddler tantrums while longing to find the lost pieces of ourselves.
Motherhood is unfolded laundry in exchange for unexpected joy, uncontainable chaos in exchange for unexplainable love.
Motherhood is failing to recognize ourselves and learning who we are and what we need independent of our kids.
Motherhood is unrealistic expectations and coming to terms with our own inability to do it all, all of the time.
Motherhood is finding friends who love our children like their own and remind us that we are not alone.
Motherhood is being honest with ourselves about which needs can be met through mothering and which needs must be met through the continued development of self.
Motherhood is all of this and so much more. Motherhood changed me, motherhood rearranged me, motherhood made me.
Leave a comment below and share what motherhood is to you.