Becoming a mom—what a wonderful role. It gives us wings. We feel good, filled with wonder. This role—a lifelong job—opens our eyes and reminds us of our own childhood. We relive the good times and the not-so-good times with our parents. We realize the sacrifices our mother made and better understand some of her reactions. Sometimes—even often—we catch ourselves thinking, “Wow, I really did that just to drive her crazy!”
Now, I’m the one going through it with my own children. So many things suddenly become crystal clear—we’re almost blinded by them—but for now, it’s too soon for self-reflection.
You quickly grasp the extent of her sacrifices. The reasons behind so many situations. Like when you go to the grocery store just to clear your head, your eyes still red, or when you stand in your cold shower rather than hear the screaming coming from the other side of the door. Gone are the snap judgments you might have made before—back when you didn’t have kids. Your compassion for other moms knows no bounds. When a little boy throws a tantrum right in the middle of the grocery store over a bag of marshmallows, you give his mom a look that says, “It’s okay, hold on to your little one—he’ll get over it.” Then you give the boy a look, and suddenly he feels less like screaming. You feel like you’ve made a difference—at least a little bit; let’s not exaggerate—but you’ve got to give yourself that little “phew!!!”—that look that only a mom understands! We moms need to encourage each other.
As a mom, the most important thing is not to feel alone. That feeling of being in a bubble, cut off from the rest of the world. It’s like having an alarm going off in your head—kids cause one disaster after another.
In short, we can compare ourselves to all sorts of things, but one thing is certain: we’ll be fighters, united, full of determination—the determination to achieve a common goal, to be role models for our children, and to attain total happiness, the kind we’ll have built with our own hands.