Motherhood has transformed me into a formidable force. I was once a gentle, non-confrontational person who blushed easily and said sorry a lot. Before becoming a mom, I let everything affect me deeply. I can recall a time when a female supervisor bluntly told me that my success was due to my charm, not my intellect. I was too stunned and intimidated to respond, wanting instead to hurl her designer handbag out the window. Instead, I nodded along and shed tears in my car afterward.
That was before I experienced the life-altering journey of bringing a child into the world. There’s no greater empowerment than that. All remnants of my former modesty faded away; I was too preoccupied with nurturing a tiny, squishy baby into a willful, energetic toddler to worry about anything else.
Fast forward through two more kids, and I’ve morphed into a person my former self would have avoided. The person who once sobbed in her car has since endured sleepless nights and colicky babies. Motherhood is relentless; it doesn’t care how much you think you can handle.
My non-yelling days vanished the moment I gave birth without any pain relief. And let’s not even discuss the mortifying experience of severe postpartum discomfort. I found myself in so much agony that I couldn’t even communicate to my husband that we needed to go to the hospital; I just hoped to black out from the pain.
Motherhood doesn’t concern itself with modesty or self-respect. I’ve emerged tougher and more assertive. Because let’s face it, motherhood doesn’t care if you had a rough night’s sleep or if you feel out of shape. It demands action: “Get up, Mom! Your son is about to snack on silica packets!”
If that means sprinting outside in mismatched pajamas to wrangle a naked toddler or ensuring my eldest boards the bus, I’ll do it. If I have to abandon a full cart of groceries because my kids are causing a ruckus, so be it. If a stranger gets too close to my baby or my vehicle, you better believe I’ll speak up.
I simply don’t have the luxury of feeling embarrassed or apologizing for my decisions. I also don’t have time to take a peaceful bathroom break, so lengthy phone calls or bill payments might just slip my mind.
Onlookers might assume I’m on medication. Nope. I’m just a mom, navigating the chaos of daily life, driven by the sheer will to survive each day.
Motherhood, with its combination of shushing babies, changing diapers, and surviving tantrums, has reshaped me, and for that, I’m thankful. It compels me to push through even when I don’t feel like it, to express love when it’s hard, and to keep moving forward despite exhaustion. Motherhood is indeed a force, and now, I am a force to be reckoned with.
And yes, my body did eventually recover, but I’ll admit I have little patience for my husband’s complaints about a headache now.
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In summary, motherhood has undeniably changed me. It has made me stronger, more assertive, and ready to face whatever challenges come my way.