A Better Person

Motherhood has made me a better person.  A MUCH better person.  I think this is the case for the majority of people who venture to board the unfamiliar, unpredictable train called Parenthood.  I know not everyone is meant to be a parent.  And if you don't want to be one, you shouldn't become one.  Some are sadly denied the choice.  I have a dear friend who wanted kids more than anything, but it didn't work out for her.  So she immerses herself into being an advocate for children, and also a caring aunt and niece to those in her large family.

Having a child took the focus off me.  It was no longer what was best for me, or what I wanted to do.  It was what was best for my child.  I learned to love in a completely new way.  And many will tell you they had no idea what love really was until they held their child in their arms for the first time.  There is nothing stronger than the mother/child bond.  I'm grateful I boarded that train over 20 years ago.

I see childless people my age, and I marvel at their complete and total preoccupation with themselves.  They pour into their careers, carefully plan their next exotic vacation, and view trying new restaurants in their city to be the height of evolved living.  They pen detailed Yelp reviews on the assortment of sausages available at a nearby eatery.  At the end of the day they are content with their lives because after all, you don't miss what you never had.

Maybe some of these people would be self-centered even with children.  I don't know.  But they do amaze and confuse me.