|
This submission is by Jennifer Wright, a MomUnity member who earned an OkkaTots diaper bag by answering this prompt: When you decided to take on the job of raising a child (or more than one), your heart knew that you would be the giver of the love long before you'd be the receiver. And the love you give is the VERB kind of love -- every repetitive, mundane act, every phrase you hear yourself say a zillion times... Why? Ask yourself, and answer yourself. It's a valuable practice to become conscientious and provide those reasons to get you through the hard times and be able to appreciate the good times all the more. Here is Jennifer's beautiful and thoughtful answer. If you'd like to submit an answer and earn a diaper bag too, here's the form.  Photo Credit: Liana Mikah on Unsplash.com Motherhood is made up of moments. Good moments, bad moments, successful moments, learning moments, rewarding moments, and more.
Why do I spend my time being a mother? Well, honestly, there are hard moments when I ask myself that question and I can’t see that I’m making a difference. But those moments inevitably pass, and are usually followed by learning moments. The most applicable answer is: I love my children! Ultimately, I want them to be happy and I am the one most able to help that happen in the short term and the long run. My children need me. I give them my time and attention so their lives will be better. I am the one that best understands them and can infer their needs. My children are young and they can’t communicate well yet, either because they can’t talk yet or are still learning the meaning of words and how to tell me something. No one else is as equipped as I am to understand and help them because I know their bigger picture, the moments that make up their world and reality. It’s rewarding to see the progress they make as a result of choices I have made in adjusting their surroundings or schedule to best fit their current needs. I know those needs intimately because I have been there every moment and step of the way. I am positioned to best help them progress and succeed. My children reflect me. Children are little sponges who repeat the most random things! I learn about myself in how they handle emotions and react to situations. I know they learned many of those things from me. Sometimes those moments are painful to see, but I am a better person for seeing myself reflected by them. The rewards are in the moments too. Milestone moments of learning to smile or walk and random silly happy moments filled with laughter, and moments of progress when something ‘clicks’ that we’ve been working on. I love my children the most of anyone on this earth, and no one else is going to care what happens to them more than I do. I want to be the one they ask for help, even if it’s 100 times a day. I want to be the one advocating for them. I want to be the one who feeds them, sees their smiles, kisses their ‘hurts’ and tucks them in. At the end of the day, I can best celebrate their victories with them because I know the moments that make up their days and months and years. Their best chance of success is through me, and I love them, so I give them my moments.
0 Comments
By Sam Allred, CouncilMom over Music, Inspiration, and Laughter
Photo Credit: Danny de los Reyes on Unsplash.com
Developmental psychologist Casper Addyman has the most delightful job: he studies baby laughter. In this 2017 TED talk (only 15 minutes long) he discusses the science behind what makes babies laugh and why it is crucial for development... and why we might want to learn from their example and laugh more!
From the description on YouTube:
Caspar Addyman reminds us that babies can teach us fundamental truths about how to live a good life. We just need to listen to their laughter. Caspar Addyman is a developmental psychologist who studies how babies learn about the world and how we can learn from them in adulthood. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx |
