I have never been the type of person to care whatsoever about what people think of me, or whether they like me, or not. That was until I became something; a mother. Now that I am a mom I feel like I should keep my manners in check, not be too outspoken, controversial or confrontational. I can't even be rude to people who are rude to me. What about motherhood put a muzzle on me? I have been trying to figure it out and am still not quite sure. Some of my "mom friends" have had the same problem. My "old friends," a.k.a. friends without children (who I speak to regularly), are still, after two years of me having a child, perplexed by how taming motherhood has been on me. What was so great about my spicy comebacks anyways? It wasn't always the sweetest or classiest part of my personality anyways.
I think what fell off was the drama, and the need to put my two cents in. I have no desire these days to let people or things bother me. I have more significant things to worry about now. I want life to be as amazing as it can possibly be for my family so that means I can't sweat the small stuff (a saying I absolutely hate).
Today, to give you a little background, I can balance just as much as I did
pre-baby and not a lot of moms can say that. The love of my life thinks I'm exceptional. He and I never planned to have me be a stay at home mom (wont last in this economy though unfortunately), but we have managed to keep me home for two years (not without some sacrifices mind you). I am a domestic diva. Once about fashion and high maintenance
mumbo jumbo, and now I clean, cook, change diapers, and manage the finances of my household. I am a mommy machine.
Soooo, when did I lose my wit and fire?
It was "sassy
cassie" my whole life, and now its "mommy." I love my life, although I am still investigating whether it is a good or bad thing that I've lost my spunk. I still feel like me, only better, so is there even a problem?. Why does it plague me so much that my "old girlfriends" are so
weirded out by the change in me? Maybe I just don't want to feel like I've lost any part of what made us friends, more than friends, like sister. I still love them the same, with or without children.
Here are my thoughts on why they think of me the way they do: They (the "old girlfriends") live 1350 miles away and only see me 2-3 times a year, I became a mom after I moved to Idaho, I was a work-a-
holic before I lived here, and my life appeared to run on chaos, not organization.
Here is where they are wrong: I don't care how
feisty you are, every girl wants to find their soul mate, I found mine, and motherhood was the natural next step. When I lived back in Minnesota I worked 60 hours a week while taking 15 credits at the U of Mn and still managed to be a social girl. I have always been able to juggle my life well, that I know for sure. What seemed hectic, and always chaotic to them, was just me doing what I do. It prepared me well for life as a mom, that's for sure. So, now what I question is their perspective on life versus how they look at me.
What I was doing was setting myself up for success. I was getting an education, doing volunteer work in SE Minneapolis, working my crazy job, making enough money to go to school, and staying busy until my life began. Isn't that what we all do? We do what society tells us we should do until we start making our own a grander plan for our life. Don't we all finish high school, go to college, work a hundred jobs to pay our rent, and hope that during all of that we meet the right person and settle down? Isn't that the general plan?
I think the problem is that with all of my success as a single, carefree person my girlfriends never expected me to settle down and give it all up. What the "old friends" don't seem to know is that it is
sooooo worth it! I didn't give up anything that could compete for even one second with what I have now. I never saw myself as a mom, especially a stay at home mom, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Whatever they think I've lost, I shouldn't feel like it was a part of any identity I need to worry about, it was just the part of me that was fighting to get to where I am now. I can't wait until they get here too.
Don't you always wish you could pass your wisdom onto a friend, or a little brother or sister? If they only knew what I know. Soul mates exist, people change, and happiness is waiting for you when you're ready to reach out and grab it, so set yourself up for happiness. Accept it and embrace it! Whatever you lose will not compare to what you will gain. Just my thoughts on the changes we experience in life.