The Moment You Realize All Those Other Moms Were Right

This journey in motherhood…it’s something, isn’t it? Lately it’s been taking my breath away and tugging at the inner most part of my heart. Something deep in my soul is telling me to hug my kids a little tighter, and to live life with them to the fullest.

This life never slows down. It feels like I blink and another month has passed, then three, then six, and the next thing I know, my kids are waking up in the morning looking nothing like babies and way too much like big kids.

I became a mom four years ago. As a new mom, the advice I heard most often from moms ahead of me was, “Enjoy it. It goes so fast.”

I would always nod and say, “Thank you for reminding me of that. I’m sure it does.”

Then I’d be up during the night with my precious baby boy, and sometimes my sleep deprived self would sort of plead for time to speed up just a little bit. Is it morning yet? When will this get easier? Am I really capable of what’s required of me to be a mom? 

There would be those precious moments too, when he would snuggle like only a newborn does, and I’d just want to freeze time forever.

But that was usually shortly followed by a blow out or something else disgusting and the sentimental moment was interrupted.

If I’m honest, that’s kind of how motherhood is for me. It’s full of mountain highs and valley lows. It seems to be one extreme or the other, but never somewhere in the middle. I usually get to the end of a day and think to myself, “This was such a sweet day with the kids. I can’t believe I get to live this precious life. I LOVE BEING A MOM!” Or, I get to the end of the day and all I can think about is how excited I am for bedtime. “The kids didn’t listen to me at ALL today! They didn’t eat like the food I made for them, I changed like 100 dirty diapers, and if I have to hear one more hour of whining, I just might lose my sanity.” 

But very rarely do I get to the end of the day and think to myself, “Yep, pretty average day. Same old, same old.” 

I’ve been thinking lately, there’s got to be a reason for this. There just has to be!

What if raising kids is full of so many ups and downs because we’re supposed to be learning that there can be JOY no matter the circumstance?! You know how you can literally go from being covered in their poop one minute to giggling with them the next? What if parenthood was all about teaching us to get over ourselves just a little bit? What if it was about learning how to enjoy the mountaintops, but to see the benefit of the valleys? As a parent I have absolutely been humbled to the very core of my being. I learned quickly that I don’t have all the answers, that I’m not in control, that there isn’t a perfect parenting formula for every kid, and that none of that is going to change so I might as well be okay with it!

The truth is, I can spend motherhood one of two ways. Either I can start each morning and try to orchestrate the perfect day, which will result in disappointment when the littlest thing goes wrong, or I can just embrace the fact that life with kids is crazy, messy, never perfect. yet beautiful at the same time. If I can reach a point when I’m able to enjoy the bad with the good, I think THAT’s when parenthood starts to get really awesome. That’s when I’m going to be able to soak up many more precious moments with my kids because it’s not about ME! It’s not about my comfort or happiness or even being ABLE to do it. More importantly, it’s about me simply being AVAILABLE and open to the adventure that awaits.

It’s true, all those moms were right. These past four years have been the fastest years of my life. Having four kids in three years definitely had something to do with it, but I think any parent feels this way.

And so today, as we continue to watch our kids grow, my hope for each of us is that we can see the beauty in the chaos. That we can look at those little rascals who are driving us nuts, take a deep breath, and find a way to love them in that moment anyway. Because after all, none of us are perfect either, but we still have this deep desire to feel loved no matter what. I never want my kids to question for a SECOND the way I feel about them. May we live with LOVE, and may we find JOY in the journey. Because I don’t know about you, but I don’t want keep blinking.

XOXO,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!