A Beautiful,
Messy Mother’s Day
By: Christina Frost
Life has changed significantly over the past few months for my family and I. As many of you know, we welcomed a lovely baby girl into our world this spring, and it has been a whirlwind of late night feedings, mountains of dirty diapers, and learning to balance this new life with a new little human to care for.
Becoming a parent has been both hard and glorious at the same time. I’ve had to re-examine how I think about myself and the people around me. I’m simultaneously exhausted and electrically enamored with all the feelings I have about my daughter.
As it just so happens, Mother’s Day is right around the corner, (it falls on May 14th by the way). It will obviously hold a different weight for me this year than all the ones before.
I’ll admit, it’s been difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I’m a mom now. I’ve always been the kid who celebrates her mother, and this year it’s my turn to be celebrated. And yet, this feels strange to me.
Yes, technically you immediately become a parent once you have a child, but don’t you have to earn that title in some way before it becomes a day you can claim as your own? I’ve been a mom for only two months at this point, and so far I struggle with whether I’ve had enough time to be worthy of a day meant to honor mothers.
And yet, why do I wonder that at all? Maybe because becoming a parent is hard and feels chaotic and yucky a lot of days? How glamorous is it to clean up regurgitated milk off your nightgown for the 100th time? Or fish little treasures out of your little ones stopped up nose? Or struggle holding with an overtired baby who only wants to sleep in your arms instead of the perfectly convenient bassinet you purchased for her…If I were honest, at the end of the day, none of these things feel worthy of celebration because they often feel commonplace and far from newsworthy.
However, lately, I’ve thought a lot about what makes a mother a mother. What if I wasn’t around to give my daughter her most basic needs? If I didn’t (and no one else did) she’d be wet and dirty and uncomfortable and completely helpless to help herself. So really the things which don’t seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things–things like giving her milk, changing her diaper, and making sure she is wrapped up in a soft, comfy swaddle are her whole world right now.
And because I’m taking my time and energy to give her exactly what she needs, when I hold her in my arms, even if I’m a mess and haven’t showered in a few days, I have transformed this tiny human into a creature who shines like a glowing star in my arms.
I get to gaze into her eyes and she gazes back at me straight into the deepest parts of my heart–a heart which has unknowingly become a mother’s heart before I ever knew it was happening.
No, it’s not easy being a mom, but it’s wondrous in every way, and I’ll take this new, messy mom life for all for the joy that is present and everything else to come.
We hope your Mother’s Day is filled with love and good gifts for all the special women in your life. Believe me, they are more appreciated than you know…
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