While growing up, many girls fear turning into their mothers. As a child, your mom can do no wrong, but when you become a teenager, you realize that she is actually a human being who has her own personality and she's not perfect.
The most profound awakening of all is that she was usually right about things, and you should have listened to her more
My mom was a stay-at-home mom to three kids, while my dad went off to work early every day. As we got older, she would occasionally work during the holidays, but for the most part she was home, even though we all went off to school. When I became pregnant with my first, I planned on going back to work. At least initially.
As my pregnancy progressed, I found the idea of leaving my baby to go to work against my instincts. I didn’t want to put her in daycare and only see her in the evenings. I didn’t want to pump all the time and only see her to put her to bed. It would have wrecked me.
I had been building a career in an industry that I didn’t enjoy. I always wanted to write, and I wasn’t doing that. Staying home just seemed like the right thing to do, so I planned for it and that’s exactly what I did. I have been out of a traditional job for over five years now and have two children. Getting to be with them all day, every day, is, admittedly, exhausting. Some days I feel like I’m going crazy, and I don’t know how my mom did it, but I would not change it.
I’m glad to be following in her footsteps of this stay-at-home-mom life
As I get older, I realize I have more in common with my mom than I thought. Though I wish I’d gotten her awesome black hair, I did inherit a bit of her wisdom along with her sarcasm. I can pick up on that much easier now than I used to.
I do not find the prospect of becoming more like her alarming
I find that I’m embracing some of it and adding to it in other areas. I work really hard even though I don’t have a traditional job. I do a lot of freelancing and try to teach my kids as best I can.
I do wish that I would inherit her ability to control her temper. I seem to have a bit of an issue controlling mine sometimes, but I only remember her being calm. I don’t remember her ever yelling. She has admitted that my brother and sister did get along better than my kids, so hopefully I can figure it out. Mine are both as stubborn as I am, but I’m working on it.
The concept of turning into your mom doesn’t have to be frightening. Many moms are great people just doing the best they can. Take what you admire from your mom and embrace it. She knew some of what she was doing, just like you do.
