It's strange--I never pictured myself as a mother when I was younger, either, and I just am realizing that now after reading your post.
I think I was in survival mode for most of my young adulthood so thinking about the future seemed a luxury because all I could do was get through this day, and the next, and the next. When I became pregnant, I was scared to death because I had just began to get the hang of being a functioning adult. Becoming a mom felt very overwhelming but thankfully, maternal instincts kicked in. :) Also, I knew that I wanted to do it differently than how I was raised so that became a big goal for me.
But I do wish I would've have had the knowledge of these three stages because I maybe I wouldn't have felt so overwhelmed. I will say, my curiosity kicked in after I had my youngest child and I started writing. I didn't realize at the time but it became the thing that led me back to myself during that part-time motherhood stage.
Those nudges become stronger and stronger making them almost impossible to ignore. Listening to and acting on that curiosity was one of the best things that I've ever done for my life. I hope by talking about this more, moms can learn to let go of guilt around pursuing themselves. We have a life! And our lives are not meant to be just serving our family. That can be rewarding but it's not the whole of us. We are so much more dynamic and multi-faceted than "Mom".
Thanks for sharing this and can't wait to read more!
Sorry for the delayed reply—I stumbled upon your comment just now! ❤️ I think you nailed it. I was in survival mode, too. I literally had no bandwidth to think about anyone else, much less kids.
It's fascinating talking to different moms. So many of us seek something beyond motherhood once we have kids. I love that you followed your curiosity because look at where you are now.
It's strange--I never pictured myself as a mother when I was younger, either, and I just am realizing that now after reading your post.
I think I was in survival mode for most of my young adulthood so thinking about the future seemed a luxury because all I could do was get through this day, and the next, and the next. When I became pregnant, I was scared to death because I had just began to get the hang of being a functioning adult. Becoming a mom felt very overwhelming but thankfully, maternal instincts kicked in. :) Also, I knew that I wanted to do it differently than how I was raised so that became a big goal for me.
But I do wish I would've have had the knowledge of these three stages because I maybe I wouldn't have felt so overwhelmed. I will say, my curiosity kicked in after I had my youngest child and I started writing. I didn't realize at the time but it became the thing that led me back to myself during that part-time motherhood stage.
Those nudges become stronger and stronger making them almost impossible to ignore. Listening to and acting on that curiosity was one of the best things that I've ever done for my life. I hope by talking about this more, moms can learn to let go of guilt around pursuing themselves. We have a life! And our lives are not meant to be just serving our family. That can be rewarding but it's not the whole of us. We are so much more dynamic and multi-faceted than "Mom".
Thanks for sharing this and can't wait to read more!
Sorry for the delayed reply—I stumbled upon your comment just now! ❤️ I think you nailed it. I was in survival mode, too. I literally had no bandwidth to think about anyone else, much less kids.
It's fascinating talking to different moms. So many of us seek something beyond motherhood once we have kids. I love that you followed your curiosity because look at where you are now.
I can SO relate to this. I never wanted the family life. I never played with dolls or played house. Oddly I'm now a mother to 3 🤪
It’s it wild how we get where we are? I’m dazed by it sometimes!