Public service announcement...
Young mothers...
I love you all. I believe that you are diamonds. Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING CAN BREAK YOU. Someone should have told you that motherhood was never intended to be easy. And someone should have told you that the baby might be the easiest part. Someone should have told you that you will question every single decision you make and you're supposed to. Someone should have told you that you may not be able to lift luggage into your trunk but if need be, you will lift a truck off of your child. Someone should have told you that your strength is immeasurable even though, most of the time you will feel weak. Someone should have told you that no age, no religion, no economic class can hinder you from being the best mother you can be to your own child.
Someone should have told you all of these things but sometimes, nobody does.
There will be days that you just want to run away. Your feet may swell, your breasts may leak, your hair will definitely be a wreck, your partner may leave, and you will forget to shower. In the midst of all of these things, you will survive. There will be days that you lock yourselves in the bathroom for five minutes just to cry with little fists banging on the door. There will be days where you want to throw yourself out the window. There will be days that the word "mommy" is the last thing you want to hear. There will be many days like this. But you cannot run away. You cannot hide. You cannot walk away from your own destiny. You will not leave your child in this world by his or herself. That's not what mothers do. That's not what you will do.
Your friends will go on vacations, have boyfriends and party until the sun comes up. You will too one day, just not today. Today, your job is to vacation in your child's smile, to relax in their cheeks and to run away in the sound of their voice. I promise you, there is no greater peace on this Earth than to hold your own child in your arms.
It may seem that this is strange coming from me, considering I went back to school while my grandmother raised my three month old child. I will tell you that I partied until the sun came up, I loved a man or two and I went on more vacations than I should have. I will also tell you that my hair fell out, that I couldn't sleep for months because I thought I was hearing her cry, that sometimes I couldn't call her because hearing my baby without smelling her was something my mind could not comprehend. I will also tell you that I felt empty and partied to feel whole again, I loved to feel like a woman again, I cried the guilt out of myself. I will tell you that sometimes I resent my degrees because sometimes I feel more like a student than a mother. To be honest with you, your struggles will be a double edged sword. You will have to choose the lesser of two evils. You will be put on display for others to critique, discuss and even degrade. Sometimes, people will forget that a mother and a woman can sometimes be two different people.
But I urge you to remember that you are setting an example, not only for your child but for women who will one day become mothers. You will be a mother of grace, compassion, limitless strength, dedication and most of all love. You will be the template for every mother that joins your journey. You will never be perfect, you will stumble, you will lose your temper and you will damn near lose your mind but you, my dear will never lose focus. You were given the ability to change the world with the gift of a child. I want you to know that no matter how hard it is, no matter how alone you feel, your purpose will always be bigger than your doubt.
Every single day you walk with your heart outside of your body. You are the ONLY person WHO can survive with such a big piece of you in the arms of this world instead of your own. You are stronger than you can ever imagine, but nobody told you that. Nobody told you that you can carry a cross for a lifetime. Nobody told you that giving birth is the most dangerous thing the human body can do but YOU did it and YOU survived it. Nobody told you that some friends were never meant to be godmothers? Nobody told you that people will let you make a bad decision just so they can talk about you later? I'm telling you. As you believe that your child is the greatest gift you've ever received, also believe that you are a gift to your child.
Young mothers, the whole world watches you, some of them waiting for you to fail. Some of them are waiting for the opportunity to say that you should have never had that baby because the burden is too big for you. I'm telling you, don't worry about the whole world watching, just never forget that your child is too.
From my journey to yours with an abundance of love
A young mother...
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