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As moms it’s tremendously easy to get caught up in the necessary details of motherhood that are not the fun and enjoyable parts. Cooking, cleaning, dirty diapers, snot, spit-up, sleep deprivation, crazy hormones – the list goes on. Early motherhood is particularly challenging with young children dependent on their parents, particularly their moms, to meet their every need. Those brief moments when life is easy and everything is going right, like our children are miraculously playing nicely together and we can crop out our cluttered living room, we snap a photo and post them on social media. But that’s not the same as those true sweet moments of incredible meaning and significance that are unique and special to early motherhood.
I watched a TED talk recently by Niel Paricha about his site, 1000awesomethings.com, and it inspired me to think about many awesome aspects of motherhood. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to be grateful for those special moments, no matter how brief, that are unique to us moms. Not all of these are universal, but many of them are. These are the mama moments our hearts will never forget:
- The moment you see the tiny human that you grew in your body for the first time.
- Experiencing unconditional love from another and for another.
- Knowing that whatever issues you’ve had with your body pale in comparison to marveling about your body creating a human.
- The distinct way a newborn’s legs curl.
- The newborn smell of a baby head.
- Big toothless grins.
- Tiny belly laughs.
- Kiss attacks; both being the kisser and the kissee.
- When you see your child doing something and they accidentally surprise themselves- like catch a ball for the first time.
- Family dance parties.
- Goodnight kisses.
- Lullabies.
- Rocking soothing a sweet baby in a way only a mama can.
- Coffee after a long night.
- Uncontrollable laughter.
- Motherhood tribes and mom friends.
- Hand-me-downs from other moms.
- The honesty of a child.
- Snuggling.
- Nap time.
- Nap time. (Yes it’s on the list twice, most of us are probably extra grateful for nap time :-P)
- Hugs from tiny arms.
- Words that little mouths don’t quite fit around.
- Furrowed brow of concentration.
- Young friendships.
- Crooked smile.
- When your child does something new that surprises you, like sticking up for you to a bully.
- “Motherhood was the great equalizer for me; I started to identify with everybody… As a mother, you have that impulse to wish that no child should be hurt, or abused, or go hungry, or not have opportunities in life.” ~ Annie Lennox
- The epiphany of realizing your older child can retrieve toys that your infant throws repeatedly.
- Experiencing the world through a child’s eyes; everything is fresh, new, and fascinating.
- Awkward moments that are hilarious in hindsight.
- Exchanging knowing glances with your spouse over your toddler’s head.
- The moments of confusion when you’re certain you know the answer to your toddler’s question, but of course they have asked how and why and you’re not sure if you know how to explain it.
- The unexpected pleasant (and unpleasant) moments your child reveals something to you about yourself. It can be as innocent as an expression that sounds familiar and you later hear it coming from your own lips. Or it can be deeper when you see them interpreting something around them as you would. As Robert Fulgham put it, “Don’t worry that your children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.”
- Watching a smiling nursing baby’s latch slip as they try to hold on with their tongue.
- Watching a child see something for the first time and seeing their amazed observant eyes.
- Seeing your baby do something that you taught them for the first time, like waving.
- Your toddler learning about things like Halloween for the first time and being mind-blown by the concept.
- Hearing your child (at any age) breathe and seeing the rise and fall of their chest as they sleep.
- The surreal sense that you suddenly understand so much more about so much more.
- The new deeper connection with and understanding of people in general because everyone is someone’s child and you now know what that feels like and what it means.
- Living in the moment and being mindful when you can to try to absorb as much as possible, out of desperation to slow time and hold on to this moment forever.
- You become closer to your own parents as you learn more about why they did what they did.
- The humbling times when you do things that you said you would NEVER do, before you actually had kids of your own.
- “All those clichés – those things you hear about having a baby and motherhood – all of them are true. And all of them are the most beautiful things you will ever experience.” ~ Penelope Cruz
- You forget what boredom feels like.
- Ninja Mom moments, where you instinctively save your child from harm so quickly you surprise yourself!
- Baby’s hand on your chest or playing with your hair while you’re feeding them.
- The deeper meaning of all things in life, because you feel more deeply once you have felt emotions for your child.
- “I have no need for children, for it is happiness I am in search of, and all the while she spoke, I smiled while my happiness tugged at my skirt.” ~ Unknown
Of course this is not a comprehensive list and there are a million more awesome things about motherhood. Even on those days when everything seems to be going wrong, we have much to be grateful for. Motherhood is a privilege denied to many, and for some of us it’s the single most life-changing experience we will ever have. As M. Russell Ballard’s said, “The joy in motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times, but amid the challenges there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.” We are tremendously grateful for those shining moments!
What are your favorite shining moments throughout early motherhood? Please share in the comments 🙂
