When you become a mom, everything changes.
As any new parent quickly learns, kids become your number one priority. Their safety, comfort, and happiness become paramount. But while there are many sacrifices that need to be made when you're caring for your children, most moms agree that the good outweighs the bad.
When your baby smiles at you, says their first word, eventually goes off to college, or even has a baby of their own — well, that makes all of the sleepless nights, stress, and worry worth it.
At the same time, becoming a parent doesn't erase the person you were before. Your hobbies and interests don't just go away because you're a mom. Very rarely does someone magically become happy to function on substantially less sleep or spend substantially less time on self-care, as virtually every person with an infant or toddler is forced to do.
Mary Katherine Backstrom, a mom who runs the blog Mom Babble, addresses all of this and more in an emotional, heartwarming Facebook post about the "strange dichotomy" of motherhood.
Scroll through to read Mary Katherine's moving words!
Thumbnail Photo: Facebook / Mom Babble
Mary Katherine Backstrom is a mom to two kids.
She and her husband have a toddler son and a 17-month-old daughter.
Mary Katherine affectionately refers to her son as "Nugget" in her many Facebook posts about all of the zany antics her kids get up to.
Just a few weeks earlier, Mary Katherine shared a hilarious post about an incident that the two had in Starbucks.
Her son accidentally lifted her dress above her waist and flashed her butt to everyone in the coffee shop while she was waiting in line.
That post went viral, as many moms could relate to this kind of silly parenting snafu.
But a more recent Facebook post from Mary Katherine is more of an emotional reflection on motherhood.
In it, she confesses that a part of her "dies" every day that she experiences motherhood.
In an October 3, 2017 post, Mary Katherine writes:
Every day I’m a mother, a piece of me dies.
My son is in his high chair and I’m cleaning the floor and dishes. His arm magically transforms into a windshield wiper against the tray. Waffle and oranges fly across the room. Rising up inside of me is a piece of my heart that is angry and impatient.
And then I catch my son’s eyes — bright and bubbling with laughter — and that angry little piece of me dies.
When I’m comfortable in bed and the sun is still sleeping, I hear coos and then squeals. Eventually loud cries are coming from his crib. A piece of me longs for the days when Saturday meant sleeping in until 10.
Then I remember: mornings are Nugget’s best time. When he tries new words and flirts with his mommy. And that piece of lazy longing dies.
When I’m trying on clothes in Target’s family dressing room, my son’s legs swinging happily from the cart, nothing fits right, even though I’ve lost the baby weight. A piece of me whispers, “Before the baby, you would have looked awesome in that dress…”
And then I remember that skinnier, more fashionable me. Whose dreams and hopes centered around the possibility of a life with children. And that bratty, self-deprecating piece of me dies.
When nap time arrives and I’m soaking up the beautiful, coveted silence, a piece of my mind aches at the memory of quiet independence. Of books on the couch and long lunches.
But then I think of his laughter… and the sound of his little feet, pitter-pattering across the tiles of our family home. And that rogue little ache, that selfish piece of me, quickly dies.
Motherhood has such a strange dichotomy. It is life-giving and exhausting. It constantly exercises my faith, tests my patience, and stretches my heart. But, as a result, my faith and patience are stronger. My heart is bigger. And although sometimes I still reach the end of my rope, my rope is getting longer.
It’s true that every day I’m a mother, a little piece of me dies. But I will not mourn these losses.
My child is making me a better person every day.
And then the piece of me that doubts I’m doing this “mom thing” right… it dies, too. And I’m left with gratitude.
And a floor covered in waffle bits.
What do you think of the idea that motherhood can change you for the better in many ways?
Don't forget to SHARE Mary Katherine's emotional message with your friends and family on Facebook!
