Just a little friendly advice from Grandma here. If you're expecting and wondering what to expect, the first thing you should know is that all the parenting classes and helpful articles in the world can't teach you everything there is to know about being a mother, even when they're written by a wise but not so old Grandma like me. Some things you simply have to learn on your own.
You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll think you're incapable. You'll praise your intuition. Sometimes you 'll wish you had followed it and sometimes you'll wish you hadn't. Being a mom is both the best and the worst experience you will ever have. There are no guarantees, but you 'll be grateful for the surprises. Best of all, you'll learn these five important truths That will make you just a wee bit wiser than those who aren't parents. Shhhhhh.... I didn't say that.
1. Everything is worse than you think it will be.
Those 2 am feedings are every bit as bad as you think, and then some. You will cry out for merciful sleep. Your child will most certainly spew something nasty on you or the floor at least a hundred times in their lifetime. The duty of cleaning it up is also yours. You'll pace the hall for hours with a screaming baby in your arms with no relief in sight. There will be bad report cards and bullies. You'll wait up until the wee hours of the morning wishing they'd call and praying they're still alive. Expectant moms will eventually face all their worst fears.
2. Everything is also better than you think it will be.
You'll stare into those eyes and be changed forever. You'll laugh when they laugh. You'll dance when they dance. You'll feel their triumphs like only a mother can. You'll cry tears of joy at every turn. Your heart will swell with pride and soar to new heights when they hand you a picture they've drawn or earned an A in that subject you thought they'd never understand. Even when they're grown, you'll burst into tears when they make you proud, because that's what moms do.
3. You'll find out what it really means to love.
You'll experience incomprehensible joy when you give birth to your child. That joy will continue throughout your life and live on through them when you've gone. Your child was once and is always a part of you. They're your heart. They're your soul. They're your dreams, your reality and yes, they are your finest creation. They exemplify you. When you invest your love, your time and all your good intentions in your child, it will come back to you a million times over. Having a child is the greatest form of love you will ever experience.
4. You'll find out what it really means to be hurt.
No person on the face of this earth can hurt you like your own child. An insult from them is like a knife to the heart. Any resentment they harbor toward you is a dark shadow invading your soul. Seeing them hurt is worse still. It will bring you to your knees. When they move away, a huge piece of you will leave with them. Whatever harm, evil, hatred or neglect you perpetrate on your child, you will receive back multiplied by infinite numbers.
5. Regrets are futile.
Once you've brought a child into the world, there is no turning back. You're a parent for the rest of your life. It doesn't stop when they come of age or leave the nest and you won't want it to. It's a grand and glorious roller coaster ride. Once you make a mistake with your child, you can never take it back. Likewise, you can never take back the love or remove them from your heart. You will worry about and praise them for the rest of their life and the rest of yours. They will remember you and feel your presence long after you have gone.
Expectant mothers should know to always love and nurture their children as if it were the most important job on the face of the earth. Because it is.
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