Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs in the world, yet the most rewarding.
I often wonder whether motherhood is for everyone. In my own tired moments, I wonder if I made the right decision.
But my kids keep rewarding me every day with all the love, care, and warmth that only they can provide.
Is it easy being a mother? No.
Being a mother means your service is always demanded and expected, most of the time without a break. It took me some time to get used to being on my toes. And also, my anxiety started with motherhood. You are always worried about your children.
You are worried if you will be able to raise them well, you are worried if you are doing a good job, and you are worried about all the silly things.
But a mother should be able to let go of her mommy guilt and live life fulfilling her own dreams and other roles in her life too.
It’s all about balance and making your kids realize you are another human being who makes mistakes too. That you have your own identity and dreams other than being a mother too.
Motherhood is not all challenges and sacrifices. You get to experience the joy of being a mother unlimited times. That’s why I say motherhood is messy, yet lovely.
Let’s see what the joys and benefits of being a mother are.
LOTS OF LAUGHTER AND GIGGLES
You can enter a home and easily identify if there is a kid living there. Because a house with kids is always lively and noisy.
There is never a dull moment in your day when you have kids. Their innocent jokes and even serious acts are hilarious and make your day.
Sometimes, they say something that can crack you up and instantly lighten your worries. My kids always amaze me with their wisdom. They open me to new perspectives hanging me there with wonder about why I never thought about it.
When they are babies, they are able to identify your face from all the unknown faces and gift you their cutest smile.
Just go through the old baby pictures of your kids and that will instantly lighten you up.
THEY MAKE YOU FEEL LOVED
No matter how badly you judge yourself, you are always loved by your kids.
You are their world and they can’t think about life without you. Their love makes you feel important.
While I was writing this – seeing my reflective face – my four-year-old asked me, “Mom, why are you sad? You have us, right? Don’t be sad!”.
She associates her presence in my life as a reason to be happy. It melted my heart.
And at the same time, I felt proud that I am raising a kind and empathetic human being. I silently thank God for the little humans in my life who care for my feelings and are willing to cheer me up when I am sad.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE COMPANY
Being a mother means, you are never alone. It’s sometimes hard for introverted mothers. But if you learn to set your limits with them, your kids are good company.
As they grow up, you can share everything with them. And there is nothing like indulging in harmless gossiping with your mom, no matter how old you get. Anyone else agrees with me?
In the same way kids like to share everything with their mothers, mothers also share everything with their children once their kids are older.
You are less likely to feel lonely and bored because you have them.
THEY GIVE YOU A PURPOSE IN LIFE
Kids give your life a purpose. That being said, I strongly believe raising kids shouldn’t be the sole purpose of a woman’s life.
But once you have kids, raising them well becomes another purpose of your life. You always have something to look forward to.
The anticipation of each milestone and the celebration when they achieve each one, make you proud.
And when you have hard times and all you want is to give up, thinking about your kids keeps you going.
THEY MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE STRONGER
Kids help to strengthen the bond between you and your spouse as you enter the parenting journey together. Your child is your beautiful creation, born out of the love you have for each other.
It further creates an unbreakable bond between you two and you are always connected to each other by your child.
Many people gain a newfound respect for their partner after becoming parents. The wife sees how her man has turned into a doting father and the husband gets to see the caring and the stronger side of his wife.
Not all, but many people like to improve themselves once they become parents. They become more mature and responsible and this helps their marriage too.
Couples are likely to put more effort into their marriage once children are involved. Because we all want to make sure we provide a stable and happy environment for our kids.
THEY MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON
One of the benefits of having kids is that you become a better person. You become more selfless and strong. You are more organized and learn better habits.
Before becoming a mom, I struggled with waking up early. I have always wanted to be a morning person. And I used to be very unorganized.
But all these changes after kids because when you have kids, you have limited time in your day. And to make time for my own self-care and other good habits, I started waking up early.
And patience. If you think you are a patient person, I suggest you try having kids. This will put your patience to the test and you learn if you are really patient or not.
You also learn to be kind and more empathetic. In order to be a good role model to your kids, you learn to ditch the bad behaviors.
Your kids hold you accountable because you know you will be questioned if you don’t follow the rules in your household.
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YOU LEARN BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT
It’s true that kids suck your time and you hardly get a break in your day. And this teaches you better time management skills.
According to Parkinson’s law “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.
Since you know that you only have so much time in your day to complete certain tasks, you learn to manage your time more efficiently.
I used to be a big-time procrastinator, and after kids, I quickly learned if I wanted to get something done I would have to make use of the limited time I got, in the best possible way.
I work from home and I work in pockets of time in between housework and kids’ school time. Since I know I don’t have all day, I have learned to focus better so that I can get productive work done in the available time slots.
I am also better organized by planning my days. Because I learned if I didn’t have a plan in place to balance the housework, kids, and my job, I would go insane.
YOU LOVE YOUR PARENTS MORE
Only when you become a parent, do you learn what your parents had to endure to bring you up. It makes you more compassionate towards your parents. And makes you more grateful to them.
I am not saying you won’t value your parents enough if you don’t have kids. I know people take care of their parents well even if they don’t have kids themselves.
But when you become a parent, you “live” the life they lived. And that helps you to fathom the hard work and challenges better.
Do you know when you feel true respect for your parents?
When your kids have the same bad habits that you had in childhood. Lol!
YOU BECOME STRONG
You learn how strong your body is, during childbirth. Women have this ability to endure such immense pain that they become more confident about their pain tolerance.
Motherhood also brings forth a wide range of emotions. You become more compassionate, empathetic, and patient. And not to mention the frustrations, fear, and sadness.
When you go through all the emotions, you emerge stronger and are able to face the harsh realities of the world better.
As a child, didn’t you think, “My mommy can fix anything”? It’s not because you know everything. But you are a problem-solver for your children and you figure out everything as you go.
You learn to rise to any occasion because you need to protect your children.
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YOU START TO BECOME MORE GRATEFUL
Another joy of being a mother is, discovering new things along with your children.
We usually take small things for granted because we have been on this planet for long. But when you watch through a kid’s curious eyes, you rediscover the world around you.
My daughter jumps up and down excitedly when I announce to her about dining out. Seeing her joy, I am suddenly reminded of how we forget to be happy for the little pleasures in life.
Kids teach you mindfulness and how to be happy for the smallest things in life. They live in the moment and are not worried about the future or past. Isn’t what meditation teaches us?
Maybe kids are natural meditators. So many times I have kicked myself for not being able to be happy at the moment like my kids.
Related: 13 things that no one tells you about being a new mom
Now, over to you…
What would you add to the list? How has having kids changed your life? Let me know in the comments below!
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