Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day tomorrow so I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a good mamma and about women in general. There seems to be a simmering movement of women supporting women right now and it's a beautiful thing. I can't imagine where I would be without the incredible women who have been in my world.

Life is messy and busy and beautiful and heartbreaking. It rarely goes as planned. Mothering is no different; it's so important and rewarding but is not always easy. There is enough intrinsic guilt built into it by design so when external opinions and judgements creep in, it's horrible because you just want so badly to do it right.

Breast fed or bottle? 

Babies need food. Did you feed them? Milk in some form? A vegetable or piece of fruit every now and then? Good for you. (FYI, fruit roll ups ARE fruit.....)

Stay at home parent or working parent?

Babies need routine and security. Did they have a safe place to play and learn? Awesome. Mine ended up with broken bones and stitches and snuck out at night as teenagers. Yours did/will too.

Navigating the space between keeping them safe while also giving them the freedom to grow outside of your shadow is a very delicate balance. I was not always good at this but kids have a way of taking what they need when you're unreasonable.

I stayed home with my darling brats until they were in school and breastfed a long time. It was the right choice for me. My sister-in-law (Hi Shonna!) went back to work when my nieces were a year old and that was the right choice for her family. My Mom worked when my brothers were small and stayed home with my sister and me. She chose to breastfeed in the 60's when people thought it was disgusting. See where I'm going with this?

Shonna was my birth coach with Jack. Did our different mothering styles matter in that moment? Not even slightly. Having a woman support me through childbirth was a primal and beautiful experience and I'm so grateful for it. 

My point? Everybody turned out just fine. My nieces are A M A Z I N G  young women and my nubbins appear to have survived  as well. We're all doing our best and have the same goal - happy, healthy kids. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mammas out there. Well done.