The Scope of Motherhood

I had a full-time job when Jack was born. Justin was working and going to school, and things were generally difficult and money was tight. For a year or so, I dropped my firstborn off at a woman’s home where she watched a few kids while her own were home, just like my own mother did before we moved to California. I’d prepare meals for him and bottles if he needed, I was desperate to pump enough for him to be sustained during my work day. Though I have had some type of job since I was 15 years old, being a working mother has meant that I’ve taken on different roles requiring a range of compromises from my husband, my position, and most importantly my responsibilities as a parent. None of them have been easy.

Studies show that motherhood changes a woman psychologically more than any other event in her life. With each child, I notice the change and feel how emotional, empathetic and vulnerable I am in a variety of ways. Often, I find myself relating to stories that I find on the internet about other mothers and their experiences in the workplace or with their children at home. Chicco NaturalFit’s #NeverStopGrowing video is one of these. This real life video is so well done, it’s reassuring and just what I needed on a day when I was juggling two sick kids, one demanding toddler, one fussy infant and a stack of deadlines staring me in the face. It’s easy to feel defeated any time of day with five children and a job with people outside of your home depending on you, too.

This Mother’s Day, I think about how our life has brought us across many different situations and dynamics as we have grown as a family. I have grown exponentially as a person with each year that passes, as parenthood and marriage bring all kinds of new challenges and experiences that shape who we are more than any other aspect of our life. I rely so much on our families and my mom-friends and I know that without that camaraderie and support, I wouldn’t have survived thus far and I certainly wouldn’t be as equipped without their personal stories and empathy. Chicco NaturalFit’s #NeverStopGrowing video is one that reminds me of how much I do as a parent, and how important it is to have a good tribe of people around me. It truly does take a village.

Photos by AnaPhoto