Being a mother is my biggest dream. Having lived the dream for almost two years now is a privilege. To some it might sound strange, that this, motherhood, is living the dream. But imagine getting to be, what you have dreamt about for as long as you remember, surely that is living the dream.
I remember Mother’s Day when I was a little girl. I remember me and my sister plucking zigzag clovers for mum, putting them in a bit of boiling water and then putting the water and flower pieces into her old perfume bottlers. Voila, new perfume for mum! Only it usually started going bad within a few weeks, but she never complained. Other gifts consisted of sea shells, flowers or hugs. If dad was at home, he got her something and I also remember flowers being delivered sometimes, if he was away. Memories are such a sweet thing, I can still remember the smell of the perfume and also that mum was so happy to receive these humble tokens of appreciation. She, my mother, is an amazing person. I am very lucky to have had this strong, creative and loving woman teach me so many life skills. And I am even more lucky to have her along side me on my own motherhood journey.
I don’t have many pictures of me as a child here on the laptop, but I found these two on my facebook page, so thought that I would let you all see, how adorable I was and how young my parents looked when I was 8 months new. There is one of my dad and I, as well as my mum and I, because he is just as important as she is! Oh and the presents he usually got for fathers day, were his own tools rewrapped in the hope that he would forget that he already owned them. I know, we were original!
These were my treasures from JJ this Mother’s Day. They made me very emotional. I usually make crafts with him myself, but to receive something that he has made with daddy and our childminder was truly special.
I remember me and James speaking to a friend once and James saying, that we have been so lucky, that JJ is such a great kid. The friend said, no it has nothing to do with luck, it is you guys being good parents. Parents often don’t give themselves enough credits. They say that they are lucky, that they don’t know where their child gets their amazingness from. THEY GET IT FROM YOU. YOU ARE A GREAT PARENT!
To be half of the parenting due in our sons life, is what I have always wanted. Motherhood is a privilege, it is not a given. I am eternally grateful, that I get to be on this amazing journey with my fiance and JJ. It is not always easy, in fact there are difficult moments every day. Be is sleep deprivation, him saying “no” to everything (but with the sweetest voice) or doubting my parenting skills. But then there are the beautiful moments and they just fill so much more than the difficult ones.
Being the one who gets to teach him the most important skills in life is an honour. I get to teach him how to be polite and I see this in action every time he says thank you and when he asks nicely. I get to teach him how to get dirty, be it outside with mud or inside when painting. I get to teach him how to speak, how to sing and how to jump on the bed. I get to teach him how to be gentle and loving with Suzie our dog. I get to teach him two languages (blog about raising a bilingual child is in the making!). I get to light his will to explore the world and all it has to offer.
By being a mother I also get learn so much more about myself. I get to push myself even further than I had before. I am learning to pick my battles, by this I am referring to when to say yes and when to say no. Example, today I let him play with the toys in the supermarket toy aisle for 5 minutes longer than I really wanted. So what, he was happy and that made me happy. I am also learning more difficult tasks, such as what he wants to eat when he does not even know himself, or how to leave the house without too much stress. This might sound boring to some, but to a mother it really isn’t, quite on the contrary, it is important!
Getting to grow a person inside you, then bring them into this world and earth-side get to be their foundation in life; it is nothing less than an honour.
Iris Xx
Our Sleepy Smiles 