“What is your favorite thing about motherhood?”
Recently on Instagram, I saw a person pose the question, “What is your favorite thing about motherhood?” After a brief moment, I typed, experiencing the wonder of life through the eyes of my boys. I could come up with a hundred reasons, but felt like that was the experience, boiled down.
Later on, I found my mind was still stuck on that question. My sister is due with her first baby this fall and I find myself contemplating time before I became a mom. I had all the notions and idealization of what motherhood would be — but it is not really what I presumed. What strikes me is that without the experience of motherhood, there would never be a way that I could have learned the lessons I have or gather the appreciation of life that I presently hold. Parenting has granted a unique adventure with a remarkable amount of pleasure, delight, and fulfillment. Considering motherhood cannot be boiled down to one favorite thing, I want to take some space to make a list of some of my favorites:
Endless hugs and cuddles.
All the I love yous.
Unconditional love and lessons in forgiveness.
The funny things the kids think, often out loud.
The adorably and frequently hysterical way they pronounce words.
Nothing is a rush, reminding me to slow down to enjoy the simplicities of life. Savor the sights. Take a moment to sit at the window and study the individual falling snowflakes. Observe the robin flit around the yard. Smell all the blossoms.
The absolute wonder in learning and new experiences. Allowing me to see the world anew alongside my boys.
Pure excitement and adventure in the mundane. Like seeing an airplane in the sky or the garbage truck that picks up our trash on Monday mornings.
Getting to play Santa, Elf on the Shelf, Easter Bunny, St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun, etc, and watching my boys encounter magic.
Witnessing their personalities and senses of humor hatch.
Celebrating them experience day-to-day without fear, shame, or self-doubt.
Rereading books from my childhood out loud, and discovering new children’s literature together.
Noticing my oldest looks more like his dad every passing day. And seeing that my youngest has the same color eyes as me.
The loud, crazy times that are full of squeals and laughter.
The sweet moments of cuddles. Like before my youngest’s daily nap, rocking, singing, and how his head fits like the missing puzzle piece of my neck. It is a moment of quiet and slowness. Feeling each breath rise and fall. Knowing that all he needs is me, that I am his world.
Absolute indescribable heart-bursting joy and overwhelming love. At the end of each day, no matter how the day transpired, my kids think I’m the best thing in the world. And I'm pretty sure that it is the greatest feeling to be adored.
Before becoming a mom myself, I couldn't begin to grasp the deep, unconditional love between a parent and child. Loving my boys and the love I receive from them in return is indescribable. It has been the most sweeping lesson in understanding how deep our heavenly Father’s love is for us, vast beyond all measure. This blows my mind, over and over.
My boys are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. They have taught me more than anything else in this life. In this adventure, I continue to get lost, found, and become redefined, in the best, most beautiful ways. I have so much gratitude that these boys have been entrusted to my care. They make the days exciting, interesting, and nothing short of joyful. What a gift it is to watch them grow, discover, thrive, and love.