I have been a mother now for almost 19 years, and I would not trade it for all the gold in the world. I was given a gift that I was entrusted to care for and love, to teach and to discipline, to guide and to let go of when the time was right.
Motherhood is a job with huge responsibilities that impacts the lives of the children with whom she mothers. It is no wonder why there are sacrifices to make when it comes to being a mom. I gave up five things that were highly important to me before I had my first child.
1. My TV
When the kids came along, out went my television viewing preferences. The Disney channel was now a priority as was the Teletubbies. No longer could I watch movies past PG ratings unless the boys were in bed first. I even had to monitor some of the cartoons that were out at that time because I felt they were inappropriate for my children.
TV actually became less important and family game nights would then become a priority. We had a lot of fun playing games together rather than worrying about what might be shown or said on the boob tube. Memories were made.
2. My Saturdays
Saturdays were no longer time for sleeping in and lounging around the house all day. These were replaced with T-ball, basketball, baseball, football, and other kid activities.
Many weekends were spent at a baseball diamond somewhere. We even celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day during a break in a tournament or two. I would not trade those times for anything, not even for my precious sleep.
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3. My addiction
Before my boys were born, I had become addicted to smoking cigarettes. Once I became a mother, my priority was what was best for them, not what I wanted. I did not want them to become addicted to anything, so I gave it up to be a role model I wanted my children to follow. There is not a day that goes by that I do not regret giving that up.
4. My selfishness
Even though I still struggle with selfishness at times, I had to give that up and put my children’s needs ahead of mine. I needed to focus on them, not me. Being a selfish mother only ruins a child’s life. I could not do that, so I let it go.
5. My heart
The best thing I gave up for motherhood was my heart. My boys are my everything, and my love for them was too big to keep to myself, so I gave my heart to them. We have a special relationship that only comes from giving your heart away. I will always cherish our love for each other.
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Being a mother was and is the best thing that has happened to me. Yes, I gave up some things, but as you can see, these things were all for the good of our relationship. I like to think that the things I gave up were what has helped make my boys the amazing young men they have become. It was worth it all!
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