What does being a mom mean?
Being a mom means more than just carrying a baby for close to nine months and giving birth to a child. Motherhood is one of the most frustrating and yet the most fulfilling job that any woman can ever do. As much as Motherhood is perceived to be more oriented to childbirth and child care, the motherhood experience involves the rebirth of one’s being as well. It gives a new identity to a woman. Upon becoming a mom, at whatever age, a woman’s growing up process hastens as the experience challenges you, molds you, and defines you.
What Motherhood entails
The title mom comes with new duties tied to it that one is not well acquainted with. The responsibility to take care of the kids each day starts as soon as the kids wake up. I have to keep feeding another person every couple of hours, a task that may run for up to 30 minutes per feeding. Once the baby takes a nap, I have to speed up in performing duties related to the baby before the baby is up. Nighttime comes, and the baby can hardly sleep. Trying to calm down a screaming baby in the wee hours of the night, when you are personally undergoing sleep deprivation and exhaustion is no easy feat. I often play the role of a nurse, a teacher, a chef, a nanny, a mentor, name them all. By the end of the day, I end up exhausted and looking like a zombie. It calls for selflessness and more often putting the interest of others before mine.
The different masks I wear as a mom
My life as a mom resembles the presence of an actor who plays different casts in the same story. There are casts that I appear as the ideal good mom, and also, there are bad days within the play. All in all, the bad days do not imply that I am a bad mom. It is usual for any mum to have super days and also meltdowns. Below are some of the different days I experience in my life as a mom Some days I am the terrified mom, especially when sickness, misfortunes, pains, and heartbreaks set in. During several instances, I have found myself crying as the babies cry. I find myself engulfed by a feeling of panic and hopelessness, and often I feel like I am not fit to live up to the task of being a mom. I am many times left wondering how to take care of the kid while I feel that I so badly need someone to take care of me. There are days when I am a nurturing mum. On such days I understand that the kids look up to me for emotional support. I offer a listening ear and acknowledge their feelings. I hold the little fragile body close to mine, calm down the life storms they are facing, wipe those small teary eyes and assure the kids that everything will be ok, and pledge my commitment that I will always there for them.
Some days I play the role of that mean mum who has to teach the children the hard lessons. It takes that stony heart to say no to a toddler throwing tantrums in a mall crying for toys that you can afford, but had not budgeted for, or to say no to a teenager who wants to go to a teens party at night. Some of the days am that good mom who will not yell, will ensure that the kids are well cleaned, fed on time, and watch them fall asleep as I read those bedtime stories to them. On such days I make sure that I do laundry, all clothes ironed out and well folded, and the house well organized till I pat myself on the back. At times am the strict disciplinarian who will not hesitate to pack you up at the discipline corner for hours even with tears in the small eyes or ground this teenage girl for months without a flinch of guilt. It is on such days that I spell out the already set rules and also the consequences that come with breaking them. Some days am that lazy mum who will stay late in bed, pack the kid in front of the Television, and lazily follow the cartoon channel as I sip my coffee, tucked inside my duvet. The house will get up the evening unattended with the kitchen sink full of dirty utensils, yet mom seems unbothered. Some of the days, I am the overwhelmed mum, and all I feel is to get away from everybody and everything and have a me-alone time. These are some of the days that I lock myself up in the bathroom to get a few moments of some breathing space.
Is my life as a mom unique?
In my life as a mom, the most significant thing that has kept me going is the realization that I am not alone. All mothers out there are going through the same experience. If others have done it before, I am going to make it. I am human, I make mistakes, so many of them, and am so far from being perfect. I have also embraced the fact that each day is a learning experience and that it is ok to make mistakes. I have learned not to harshly judge myself but to enjoy every step of this worthwhile journey.
Parting shot
Despite life as a mom coming with so many challenges, a mother’s heart is large enough to accommodate all the diverse emotions that come with Motherhood. Cuddling the babies tightly in my arms or just watching them sleeping peacefully is the most satisfying feeling I have ever experienced. I am amazed at how I adapted to Motherhood, and I appreciate the wonders that come with life as a mom. I am experiencing the contentment in watching how beautiful and talented beings my kids are growing up to be. I cannot trade this fulfillment with any comfort in the world.