Why your children choose you by Lauren Rose Kelly
I was in a music class recently when a radiantly, happy mother turned to me and said, “Isn’t being a Mum wonderful. Can you even remember your life before him?”.
In my mind I stopped and thought absolutely I can! Where she went on in a blissful bubble of telling me how she can’t remember the days without her son, I sat there, admittedly after a week of looking after a sick toddler, and remembered the carefree days of a life where it was just me.
As a parent I would like you to pause. Think about your life before your child arrived. What did your life look like? What were your priorities? What kind of person were you growing into? Did you like the person you were?
In a moment of self reflection I answered these questions. I am now 17 months into motherhood, raising a young boy with another boy on the way. Before my child arrived I liked my life. I was career focused and I thought I had my life all sorted. However what I didn’t like was the person I was. I was anxious, lacked confidence on the inside, worried too much about my external appearance and at times was very selfish in my relationships. One thing I didn’t have was patience for others who I didn’t understand or want to understand and I was not an overly affectionate or overtly loving person.
All this changed when Jack chose me to be his Mum. Jack is a precious soul. He is very affectionate, loving, caring, sensitive and absolutely loves cuddles, kisses and taking his time to explore the world around him. Before having Jack I never stopped. Now with Jack I have stopped and I enjoy life with him. He has showed me what love really is and looks like. He has given me energy and a space to love openly. His pregnancy and birth has opened up a new way of self-care for me. I appreciate and understand my body. I am in-tune with what it needs to sustain a day with Jack. Most of all Jack has taught me patience. On reflection I am now patient. I now have time to be in-tune with him and how he is feeling but also with my loved ones around me. Jack chose me to show me how wonderfully, different life can be when you are given the opportunity to love someone who is completely opposite to you.
Take some time to reflect about why your child choose you?
Thirty year old Mum of one boy with another on the way. Originally from beautiful Adelaide, I then moved to Sydney in my early twenties to pursue a career in politics and corporate affairs, which is also where I met my now partner Pete. We then moved to Brisbane where Pete and I are raising Jack and our step-son Cooper and loving watching the next bub happily grow. I am now studying a Bachelor of Health Science where I would like to focus on women and children’s health. I am passionate about self-development and living a balanced life. You will often find me on the pilates reformer, organising something around the home or outside playing with my son.