5 Life lessons motherhood has taught me

by Udita Saklani

The journey of motherhood is enriching. It teaches us a lot more than we can even imagine. Here are 5 crucial life lessons it has taught me. A post by a fellow blogger is truly practical

As moms, we are always on the lookout for ways to teach our kids or babies various things or nuances of daily lives. In other words, we are always teaching them, and that is also what is perceived out of us by the entire world. But there is much more to motherhood apart from that.  Yes, motherhood has taught me many things. It has been a continuous and an evolving journey wherein along with the baby, I am also learning and exploring new things with each passing day. It is the daily nuances of my toddler which I encounter and which make me recall my childhood when my mother used to tell me- ‘That when you will be a mom, you will remember me and understand’. Yes, motherhood comes with its daily shares of joys, tears and stressful conditions- but I am thankful to it for making me into a better person with each passing moment. Here are 5 life lessons which motherhood has taught me:

1. Acceptance:

This is by far the most important and well-deserved life lesson learnt so far. Until I was a mother, I don’t think I understood what was the deeper meaning of this word. Acceptance of the fact that, I just gave birth to a baby and that my body is not going to shrink back to its original shape, is the first of its kind in the tiny steps I took to the real definition of motherhood. There are days when I don’t look the best, but that is perfectly alright. It has taught me to accept myself as I am. There is also acceptance of the fact that, all days won’t be the same- with each day throwing a new challenge at me.

2. Be patient:

Ever heard the term ‘Good things come to those who wait’? Well! This quote aptly sits on the more broader definition of what motherhood is about. I do not know what good things (or rather materialistic) things I got on this journey of being a mother but learning to be patient with my baby have helped me in other spheres of life as well. There are days when the toddler scribbles colors on the wall, does not put her toys in the basket, refuses to eat and countless more situations. All these have made me wiser, more patient and tolerant by the day. I would not shy away from saying, that I am still struggling to be more resilient to these daily activities, but like I said motherhood is a journey, and I am learning with each new day.

3. Listening to my inner self or gut:

Ever since I became a mother, there has been an unprecedented rainfall of advice from anyone and everyone. Of course, everyone has a voice of expression and many advice even helped me, but at the end of the day, I did only what I felt was right. There were times when I was not very confident of those things, first. But when I see now, how far have I come, I give myself a pat on the back. There have been even some instances where people warned me in doing certain practices-but I gave my inner self an ear and went ahead with many such decisions. One such traditional practice I completely avoided, which is often preached by older ladies in the family was the ‘Application of Kohl’ to prevent evil eye. Of course, I do want to protect my kid from anything bad or harmful, but certainly not by following such age-old traditional methods. I have always relied on – ‘Listen to everyone, but follow only your own gut feeling’ methodology.

Want to know about 4 extremely valuable lessons a mother asked her son to learn in life? 

4. Crying is good:

Well, well, it’s an old-school tale that crying is for the weak. No, it’s not. In fact, it is a means to recover from the pain and a liberation from those bruises. Ever seen a child after he has cried his heart out? He feels much better after that and is more prepared to face the situation. There is scientific evidence of crying been therapeutic, and trust me I live by that. I cried when I delivered my baby, and I often shed a tear or two when I feel low. Not that I am a weak person, but crying helps me to heal and flush out those negative emotions, thereby feeling better afterward.

5. It’s the little things which matter:

My best part of the day is when I cuddle and hug my daughter. No feeling in this world beats it. Like they say motherhood is all about giving it holds the same here, showering wet kisses on your little one without expecting anything in return. But of course, the baby also loves being kissed and cuddled. The small things in our daily life are something I will treasure throughout my life. I live by the quote – ‘Sometimes the smallest things make take up the most room in your heart’.

Being a mom is the most stressful but rewarding career in the entire universe. There are moments of meltdown, guilt, and joys as well. But nothing teaches us as motherhood does. Three cheers to motherhood!