Top Five Things About Being a Mom

I received an email earlier that my favorite blogger in the world has included me in something fun. I am so honored that Jessica at A Parent In Silver Spring fame has tagged me that I will just use her words to explain what is happening here.

I learned through the ever-amazing Toddler Planet that HerBadMother and David are going “Around the World in 80 Days” via blog. Their goal? To get 80 mom bloggers around the world to write their 5 favorite things about being a mom.In partnership with Global Voices Online, they’re “launching an experiment to see if [we can] get a global conversation going between moms who blog. We want to see if it’s possible to travel the world and make friends, virtually, solely on the Vernian voyage power of the momosphere. We want to see if we can pull together a global playdate in 80 clicks,” writes HBM.HBM relates in this post of a time when another mother asked her the rhetorical question, “Don’t you just love being a mom?” But as she explains, though motherhood is life-meaning-bringing and deeply fulfilling, it’s also complicated and tough.

1. Reading Aloud in Funny Voices- When else can you speak in British, French, or Frog accents and be openly accepted by your adoring audience. I also love that they think I’m terribly funny and have a fantastic singing voice. They help me fulfill my dreams of being a Broadway star or stand up comic.

2. Being Married to the Dad- My husband has been my best friend since the day we met. I have an unbelievable amount of respect and admiration for him (don’t tell him though-it may ruin my rep) but of course after being together so many years there are times all I can see are the flaws. That said, seeing him as a dad brings him to super-human heights in my mind. When I am ready to kill him over some silly argument or forgotten household task, I just have to hear him read to our daughter, sing to our son or tell the baby he is proud of him and it reduces me to the young girl who used to get butterflies talking to Him on the phone so many years ago-when he was all tanned Superman lifeguard swagger.

3. Teaching- I love that every day I have the ability to teach my kids something new about the world. At times this is an overwhelming responsibility and I m afraid I may screw it up at any moment. But overall, the look on their faces when you can show them how to decipher a word, or make a cake or identify a flower, bird or bug is worth all the “why mommys” in the world.

4. Learning: from my children and from the fascinating women I’ve met because we are moms- From my children I have learned humility and that the world is full of wonder. I have learned to question things. Mostly I have loved learning to slow down and take great joy in things I used to just pass right by. From the Super Moms I have met, I have learned not to take life so seriously, to ask for help and accept it graciously, to laugh. Mostly I’ve learned that women are a powerful force to be reckoned with.

5. Being an advocate- There is a reason that bears and lions are summoned when trying to describe how mothers protect their babies. There is a physical response that takes over you when you fear your child is in peril. Through advocating for my kids I have learned that it is not shameful to ask for what you believe you deserve and it is not shameful to feel you deserve more than you maybe have. As a person, I have always accepted less so as not to rock the boat. As a mother, I will never accept less than what I believe my children deserve and there is great power in that movement.

There they are-for what they’re worth. I hope you’ll share your five too and visit Jessica’s site because she has fantastic posts on there that you must read. I have a few listed below too. Beware though, you’re going to need some time because once you start you won’t stop!

Check these out:

Chronicles of Mommia- I went to high school with this woman and her husband. We lived minutes from each other in MD and I didn’t know she had a blog until I moved to New Jersey and met her husband’s friend. I am so glad I found her though because she is hysterically funny and sometimes I think she is writing about my life (especially hating running and having a kid that never sleeps!).

Pajama Mom– Cara is a woman of few words but man do they pack a funny punch. She also has great tips for moms from washable markers to yummy new treats.