I’m happy to continue the Bloggers on Motherhood series with Mary Lauren from My 3 Little Birds and Babble’s Toddler Times.
What surprised you about motherhood?
Motherhood, for me, is such an emotional journey. When I was younger and imagined having children, I had a sort of picture in my mind of what that might be like: goodnight kisses. A fat baby on my hip. An opportunity to shape little people into my version of everything good.
I guess what has surprised me most is how unwieldy it all is. Important decisions are made in a split second. My children are not, in fact, little mini-mes. They question, they reject, they have their own opinions. And that’s ok.
What is one of your favorite memories about your mother?
My mother loves making things beautiful and memorable. She held tea parties for me. We had picnics. We had a May Day party with a Maypole that she created for the neighborhood kids. She made everything fun, and now she does this with my children. I’m lucky.
What is one of your favorite things about being a mother?
Watching them learn and grow and become the people they’re meant to be. It’s pretty awesome.
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Mary Lauren is the mother of three, and a fantastic writer. One of my favorite essays by Mary Lauren is this post she wrote for Babble, Baby Fever or Baby Fantasy? My Journey to Being “Done.” She makes me cry sometimes, and has inspired some of my own work.