“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
― Joseph Campbell
From a young age, I knew that I was meant to be a mother. Like many young girls, I played “House” with my cousins and eagerly assisted my mother in diapering, feeding, and cuddling my younger siblings. My training to be a mother was passed on to me early and out of necessity because my mother needed help. But my drive to be a mother came to me without effort. I never wanted to have kids. I just knew, from a certainty deep inside, that I was meant to be a mother.
The reality of daily life as a mother never once crossed my mind. I never pictured myself sleep-deprived and counting the days since my last shower. I never pictured a house full of dirty laundry, dirty dishes, and dirty-diapered toddlers. I never imagined the hundreds of anxieties I would encounter. Nor could I imagine how it felt to have a heart so full of love.
When people ask, I tell them that the best thing that ever happened to me was, in age order: Ted, Stella, Ricky, and Joe. My days are hectic and full. My nights are sometimes still sleepless.
But my life is full because I have accepted the challenge set before me. I have followed my bliss. I am a mother.
Best
Kisa