The Kind of Mom I'm Going to Be

I think before we have kids we think "I'm not going to be that kind of mom," or "I'm going to do that when I'm a mom." Good joke. (I am obviously speaking from my experience, and from what I have heard from my friends and this may not apply to you, but....) I remember before I had kids, certain things I would see other kids do or say I would think "I won't let that happen." Without even knowing it, I would assume what kind of a mom I would be and I had ZERO experience. I laugh at this now. Becoming a parent was unlike anything else I have ever done in my life. If you are a parent, you get it. You know that either the moment they came out of your body, or the moment you held them for the first time, if maybe you adopted, your life would never, ever be the same. It's scary and it's great all at once. You meet this person for the first time, someone who you feel you have known forever when in reality you are starting a brand new relationship. I had no idea what kind of relationships I was getting into with any of my sons, because I had to learn as time went on. One thing I knew I wanted to do was breastfeed, and I was fortunate that I was able to do that with each of my sons. But, had we not been able to, we would've had to adapt and make a change, which would've been ok. The second rule I had before I had even met them was "No one will ever sleep with me in my bed." The jury is still out on that one. It is true that there are certain actions/words/habits that I didn't like to see before I was a parent and I don't like to see or allow at this point as a parent. Parenting is not easy, yet it is easy to judge other parents. Hmm, that sounds like it's own blog topic, but I digress. 

There is no owners manual. We do what works for us. We seriously have no idea what kind of parent we are going to be. However, I am a great mom. You may call me bad at any other role I play: friend, daughter, wife, sister, cousin, neighbor....but you will never call me a bad mom. I have found a great balance between making my kids a priority while also holding them and the relationship we have to a high standard. I am very passionate about living our best lives, and I get to help these three little people find their path. I'm nervous about that but I'm also honored. At this point, I'm not really sure what kind of mom I thought I would be, but I am very happy with the mom that I came to be.