Motherhood is almost as old as the earth itself, and throughout times of great confusion and worry during every generation, motherhood can be that bond that connects us and brings us purpose, along with frustration, and joy. Amid the sicknesses, long lines at the grocery stores, small businesses closing, people out of work, my children and I at home and much more landlocked than usual–the thought of motherhood is a constant one. Maybe it’s the steady stream of “mom” I hear all the livelong day. Or maybe it’s the hilarious motherhood memes circulating the Internet the past month keeping solidarity among us at an unnerving time.
I can’t get the idea out of my head that our individuality in motherhood is really more similar than we think.
I came up with a list of statements that scream motherhood to me. Some are funny, some are realistic, some are sweet, some are frustrating, some are everyday life, and some are hard. Really hard. So…basically motherhood in a nutshell.
Some of these are mine. Some of these I’ve borrowed. Some of these I’ve witnessed. And I hope some are yours.
In no particular order:
Motherhood is…
-Holding your sick child while rushing to the bathroom, only to feel the puke gush down the inside of your shirt.
-Newborn snuggles and smells.
-Legos.
-Throwing away a rock your kid brought home from the park two days ago only to discover, hours later, amid wailing and protestation, that it was, in fact, a precious treasure and your child’s life is now over.
-Turning on Netflix, divvying out snacks, and running to your room to hide.
-Injections, medications, and pregnancy tests.
-Telling your kid something for weeks, only to have them come home from school and say, “Guess what my teacher taught me.”
Motherhood is…
-A house decorated in construction paper and poster board.
-Waking up in the middle of the night, to breastfeed your baby, yet again, while your husband sleeps on with his useless breasts.
-The initial alarm, and then later on, the elation of a surprise pregnancy.
-A chubby hand on your face.
-Sensory tables, until you clean up the mess and realize they are the worst.
-Piggyback rides and baby squeals.
-That moment your baby first learns to laugh.
-Standing in the corner and timeouts.
Motherhood is all of us here together just doing the best we can.
