Then Comes Motherhood

Way back before I was a mom—let’s see, about three weeks ago—I had the distinct feeling that I’d been conned about the whole motherhood thing. There’s all this talk of parenting being hard work and, well—to be honest—I didn’t buy it. I’ve been babysitting since I was eleven and I’ve taught daycare. Being a mom? It seemed challenging, but it didn’t seem like the game-changer everyone made it out to be.

Then I became a mom.

And I don’t know how to describe it, really, except to say that my entire world changed. The things that used to feel so vitally important don’t seem to matter anymore. I have a son who needs his mother.

So, I’d like to issue an apology to all the parents I second-guessed. You have the hardest job in the world and I only hope to be half as brave, half as resilient as you. Nothing is the same at all but I wouldn’t trade this for anything.