Now as my kids are getting older, we’re getting to that stage where you can see how decisions you make today will affect the rest of their lives.
Do I save money for their college or pay for a more expensive preschool?
Do I spring for a new car or keep my fingers crossed that my car will hold up through one more winter?
Do I stay at this job or try to find something more flexible and closer to home?
A lot of this gig is just confidence. You have to be sure of yourself, sure that you have (or will have) the answers, sure that your decisions are based on both gut feeling and rational logic.
My confidence took it’s sweet time getting here. Didn’t hurry to me when I needed it. Not at all. It was hard.
I second-guessed everything, being a young mom just added a new layer to the worries.
But now? I feel like I get it. My blood pressure still rises quickly when the screaming is at full-pitch, but now I’m able to take a deep breath, smile through the chaos and work quickly to figure out why the heck the kids are screaming.
It’s not a perfect brand of motherhood, but it finally fits me.
I’m so much more confident now then I was during the first 2 years of motherhood. I feel like I’ve finally arrived at that ‘place’.
I still lose patience–that’s my downfall–but I do have more composure. I used to freak out about everything in the begining. If the baby made a squeak, I’d leave the room and cry louder than he did, lol.
I don’t second guess my decisions as much, and when other people give unwanted advice, I just say “Ok, thanks for the advice” and keep doing what I do. I used to feel so inadequate as a mom, and now, I feel like I could write a book for other new moms.
@Cee Cee – Right?! When my kids were newborns, I would freak out. Once, I had a meltdown because the baby wiggled out of her diaper and I thought I was so inadequate because I couldn’t even fasten a diaper right! But now? I don’t freak out about much and I’m always there to help a new mommy friend who feels like they are on the ledge….
My little man is 13 months and during the first few months I was wreck. I felt like I didn’t know nothing. But my confidence came rather quickly. I had to find my own style with motherhood before I would lose my mind. I have and I love it. I know it will change as my little one’s needs change, but I am so up for the challenge.
@Felicia – Hey, my little man is 13 months old too! What a coinky-dink! LOL.