Back when he was the man I married and not the father of our son, I used to greet my husband with deep kisses and long hugs as he stepped through our door. Now, nearly 10 years together, it takes real energy for me to muster anything more than an honest smile and brow raise.
What changed? We became parents five-and-half years ago. And, more specifically, I became someoneโs mother.
I still love this man with everything I have. I like him as much, too. Itโs just that something shifted once this tiny person entered the picture, forcing me to splinter off into other beings: mother, wife, me. Itโs a challenge moving through these different selves, trying to preserve them as whole and real. Too often, one version of me absorbs everything โ all the time, all the attention, all the dedication, love and tenderness โ while the others sit at low simmer on the backburner, dwindling.
RELATED: 11 Words That Take on a Different Meaning After Kids
The first year of motherhood, I was completely consumed by trying to do my best for this child. I was pressed for time all the time, juggling everything and putting the Mom part of me at the top of the list. Through it all, I kept hearing assurances by many (doctors, elders, other mom friends) that this was completely normal and to be expected. My husband and I became more like teammates, tackling this overwhelming thing called new parenthood, and less like crazy-in-love idealists determined to straighten out this tilted world. We laughed and learned and poured love all over our new family of three. Still, something felt off, something was missing. My husband and I stayed very close, but not in the way we used to be, not like those kid-free days. Although my husband was ever thoughtful and kind, there seemed to be sorrow there as well. He was pining for his wife. Truth told, I missed The Wife too. But I didnโt know how to bring that part of me to the forefront. Trying to find my way back to how it once was โ husband and wife vs. everyone else โ required a level of energy that most days I simply didnโt have.
Itโs just that something shifted once this tiny person entered the picture, forcing me to splinter off into other beings: mother, wife, me.
I started talking about this drift apart, about this internal struggle โ Mom vs. Wife โ with other women. Instead of assurances that itโs normal and to be expected, I was met with deep nods, "Amens" and sometimes tears. These other women, some who were five, six, nine years into motherhood, were in the midst of the same battle. They, too, understood the importance of shining some of that dedicated focus on raising healthy, happy kids onto the other vital relationship in the house: the one with their spouse. And they were looking, in earnest, for ways to turn things around.
RELATED: How to Burn Down a Marriage
For me, being aware means taking action, making changes to help us move from being two ships passing into sailing together on the Love Boat. It starts small, but itโs sure and must be steady to be effective. So now, when this man I chose to marry steps through the front door, Iโm making every effort to pause from building LEGOs, look up from my laptop and into his eyes to say, "hello."
