You are a sweet and kind little boy, and I hope you always will be. As you grow into a man, I hope you will be unafraid to display these qualities and see them as strengths. We desperately need more empathetic men.
Learn to rise above it. Be secure in who you are. Take comfort and be reminded of all that you are and all that you know of yourself.
These days, social media makes motherhood look like the glamour pages of fashion magazines. Bodies are fitter, hair is shinier, lips are plumper and everyone seems to have a boat, a diamond and copious amounts of organic, hemp, hand woven, beach bleached kids clothing. How can the average mum keep up with this?
Once we decide to leave it all behind, we may choose to not look back … We put away the business suits and stare wistfully at the carefully curated career shoes and purses in which we “invested”. We take comfort in the leggings, loose tops, casual dresses and comfy flat shoes.
One night at bedtime, several months after her passing, my five-year-old son seemed to finally come to the realization that his granny was gone forever. He sobbed softly into my arm for several minutes before finally drifting to sleep. My heart shattered all over again.
Although my parents have always been there for me, I believe that it was only after I became a parent myself that I started to understand them as adults, and as individuals.
After I got rid of the evil incarnate with an entire can of bug spray and emotions were stabilized, I started to replay the scenario in my head and I realized just how much our children are influenced by our own fears and emotions.
Until now, you have been mostly our baby girl, our little girl. But tomorrow, we will let a little of you go. Tomorrow, you start elementary school.
“Accepting myself - the good, the bad, all of it…Maybe that’s the first step toward becoming “successful” as a mom? By acknowledging my faults, celebrating my strengths, recognizing that I wasn’t born to be a mom, but that I can become one not only physically, but psychologically, spiritually, maybe that’s the key here?”
I recently went back to work full time, after 5 years of part time. As many mums do, I questioned how this would affect my son. Would he be upset by the change in routine? Would I have enough time with him? Will he think I am never around?
