10 Things I've Learned From Motherhood (So Far)

Becoming a mother has been my favorite journey so far. It’s also been the hardest. I don’t think anything can fully prepare you for becoming a mother. My son, Weston, will be two here before I know it and I couldn’t have ever imagined how fast goes.

Here are ten things I’ve learned so far:

You don’t have to take all the advice.

This was actually my favorite piece of advice I received when I was pregnant. You will get a lot of advice. A LOT. You will think some of it is the best advice ever! Some you will be like WTH are you thinking? How did their child survive that? Even if it came from your most trusted source, just let the crazy stuff go in one ear and out the other.

You know your child best.

Not the stranger at the store who randomly walks up to you and tells you your baby is cold. What she doesn’t know is maybe my baby absolutely refuses to wear socks and screams at the top of their lungs if they are wearing a cap. You can try to explain this to the random person, but sometimes it doesn’t matter. Okay perfect stranger, you know my baby better than I do.

Mom guilt is real.

Do I feel guilty going to the gym? Yes. Do I feel guilty for wanting twenty minutes to myself without anyone asking me for something? Yes. But we need that time away (or whatever your preferred self-care method is) in order for us to thrive as mothers.

Stand up for yourself.

This is a time in our lives where we can feel like just about everyone is criticizing everything we do. Just because someone tells you that your child needs to be doing something doesn’t mean they have to. As long as your child is safe and well, that’s all others should worry about.

Daycare gets better.

The first day we took Weston to daycare, my husband had to drag me out of there. He literally grabbed my arm and started walking out the door and I had to go with him. I’m glad I could check in on Weston whenever I wanted and the daycare sending me pictures a few times a day certainly helped me get through it.

You have a Mama Bear side.

When something is happening to your child that you don’t like, or if someone is neglecting them or harming them, something will happen to you that you might not recognize. Mama Bear has arrived.

You can’t protect them from everything.

They will probably get that crazy virus floating around daycare. Another kid might be too rough on him before someone can stop it. You can’t always be there for all of it, but you can teach your kids to handle certain situations as they get older.

Actions speak louder than words.

We’ve all heard this right? It’s true. Kids, especially this young, are going to learn by your example and actions, not by what you tell them.

The love you have for your child is unlike any other love.

I really don’t know how to explain it. Every day I pick up Weston from daycare he gets so happy and runs to me screaming “Mommy” and hugs me. That makes even the worst days a million times better. It’s perfection.

Life doesn’t end. It begins.

I actually had someone ask me how Weston was and I told her how great he was doing. The very next sentence out of her mouth was how motherhood makes people so boring and how her best friend just had a baby and now her friend’s life sucks and she can’t have any fun because she can’t do anything. Wow. Bye, Felicia. I just like to remind myself that one day she will find the joy I’ve found in becoming a mother and she will hopefully understand. If not, then they are really missing out on life.

Everyone’s journey through motherhood is different, but I believe it’s safe to say we all are going to experience these things at least once on our journey. What have you learned since becoming a mother?