Baptism By Fire

» Terrie_Bittner - I had been a nanny before I married and I was sure I was the mos

I had been a nanny before I married and I was sure I was the most prepared mom in the universe. First, I was shocked by how I reacted to the first sight of my child-that she looked just like Charlie Brown. THen I kept waiting for her mom to come home and take her-I kept forgetting she was mine. It was such a shock! Even three kids and almost seventeen years later I catch myself looking at three very individual people and wondering if they really are mine! I was sure that if I raised them all the same, I could turn out the kinds of kids I envisioned. My religion believes in a pre-existance-that we lived as spirits with God before we came here, and after raising these three, I have no doubts! They came with personalities already created.

-- posted by Terrie_Bittner

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» accondra - Thanks for your comments, Terrie!

I really do believe that one of the most challenging (and crucial!) aspects of motherhood is the loss of control. Loss of control over much of our own lives, as well as the behavior of our children-- Once that screaming infant pushes herself out into the world, she's become her own person! At first, I really found it hard to adjust my expectations of what I would be like as a mother and what my baby would be like as my daughter. But, I now realize how immensely rewarding, and exciting, it is to watch my daughters emerge as unique people with their own ideas and opinions-- people that I can both love and learn from. (Of course, on a bad day, this self-determination can seem less wonderful when it is manifested by my two-year-old flinging an open can of Spaghettios across my living room!)

-- posted by accondra

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