For as long as I remember I have always craved for a semblance of order. An order in the way my house was arranged, with everything in it’s place. A carefully planned schedule from the time I woke up till I retired for the day. It made me feel productive. That is till two years back a beautiful hurricane entered my life and forced it apart with the loudest cry of life she could muster.
All resemblance to order was thrown out of the window. Everything I thought I knew about myself was put to test. Motherhood caught me by the reins and turned my world upside down. I yearned for that predictability. I felt comfortable there and being here, I felt like a fish out of water. I tried to bring that order into our lives failing miserably each time and yet coming back even more determined not realizing that this wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. I had to learn to embrace this unpredictability, the unpredictability of life that comes along with a child. The unpredictability of a child whose smiles, tears, play all move like the two extremes of a pendulum. For my own sanity and that of my family’s I had to throw away many of my preconceived notions on discipline, learning and milestones out of the window and accept this world of uncertainty wholeheartedly.
I as a mother am a work in progress. As my daughter grows, so do I. I move few steps forward some days only to find myself a step or two back the next day. But that is the gift of parenting- a gift that keeps giving. A gift of chances even after screwing up, to make up to our children and by extension ourselves. A chance to raise a strong, healthy and contributing member to the society. It isn’t all moonlight and roses. There are times of guilt and anxiety. But if I stop and look closely there are so many beautiful moments that far outweigh the not-so-good times. I just need to be mindful of these moments, recognize them and receive them.
So, this is going to be my mothering project. A record of these moments of clarity, these 'A-ha' moments that brings me closer to my daughter and brings me closer to the mother I want to be to my children. A reminder for the days to come and a memory of the days that went by. Feel free to join me in this long journey of discovery. Join in whenever something works for you and even when something doesn’t. Let’s accept our vulnerabilities for the sake of our children and come out stronger on the other end. We owe it to them and ourselves.
All resemblance to order was thrown out of the window. Everything I thought I knew about myself was put to test. Motherhood caught me by the reins and turned my world upside down. I yearned for that predictability. I felt comfortable there and being here, I felt like a fish out of water. I tried to bring that order into our lives failing miserably each time and yet coming back even more determined not realizing that this wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. I had to learn to embrace this unpredictability, the unpredictability of life that comes along with a child. The unpredictability of a child whose smiles, tears, play all move like the two extremes of a pendulum. For my own sanity and that of my family’s I had to throw away many of my preconceived notions on discipline, learning and milestones out of the window and accept this world of uncertainty wholeheartedly.
I as a mother am a work in progress. As my daughter grows, so do I. I move few steps forward some days only to find myself a step or two back the next day. But that is the gift of parenting- a gift that keeps giving. A gift of chances even after screwing up, to make up to our children and by extension ourselves. A chance to raise a strong, healthy and contributing member to the society. It isn’t all moonlight and roses. There are times of guilt and anxiety. But if I stop and look closely there are so many beautiful moments that far outweigh the not-so-good times. I just need to be mindful of these moments, recognize them and receive them.
So, this is going to be my mothering project. A record of these moments of clarity, these 'A-ha' moments that brings me closer to my daughter and brings me closer to the mother I want to be to my children. A reminder for the days to come and a memory of the days that went by. Feel free to join me in this long journey of discovery. Join in whenever something works for you and even when something doesn’t. Let’s accept our vulnerabilities for the sake of our children and come out stronger on the other end. We owe it to them and ourselves.