As a mom, therapist, and chronic overthinker, I spend a lot of time reflecting on motherhood. And as I reflect, I continue to come back to noticing how motherhood is a time of never-ending transitions. When I was preparing for my first child, I knew that the early years came with rapid growth and development, but I never thought much deeper into it. Once I was in, I realized just how jarring these changes can be. I would finally grow comfortable with one stage of life just to realize my baby was already pulling me on to the next.
Something that took me longer to realize is that the transitions never really stop.
My newborn turned into an infant, then a toddler, and now a young child. Each marks the end of one era and the beginning of the next. And with that, an old set of rules and timelines to throw out and a new one to familiarize myself with. This never really stops, either. Kids become teens, then adults, each with their own triumphs and tribulations to navigate.
For someone who values consistency and excellence, building comfort with this can be incredibly challenging. Yet, it happens all the same. We can spend all our time focusing on one stage, yet before we know it, we will be focusing on the next.
Over time, I’ve learned to throw out some of those expectations and focus on the kid in front of me instead. It has been so freeing to be with the little human you have and watch them as they navigate through life in their own way. Because let’s be real, even if we read all the things, our child is still going to develop in the way they want and need.
