I can do better, but I have done my best so far.
I’m not the fun mom, but I’ve taught my children big lessons in their young lives.
I try to be a good wife, mother, daughter, friend.
I try to inhabit the womanly roles even when I don’t always feel feminine.
I spend a lot of time inside my head,
twisting, pulling, ruminating.
It doesn’t mean I’m sad. It means I’m thinking.
I’ve made mistakes,
I regret some of them.
But my children are not those mistakes: they are my legacies.
I look at them and wonder how it can be that Clarke and I have created three people. Literally given them life.
It is a joy for a mother to see her children grow,
learn to inhabit the space they take in the world,
learn to own that property.
It’s as if children need to learn the size of their bodies– the breadth of their being– in order to go out into the world and participate in it.
I love watching this process unfold.
I can do better in the future, but I have done my best so far to mother them.
And really, that’s all anyone can ask.
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You have such a way with words and often put the same emotions, thoughts I’m having in such beautiful writing. Especially with this one. I was just thinking last night how I’m not the fun mom, but how I am nurturing their souls and helping them to have a strong foundation for their journey!! Thanks for expressing this so well!
This is lovely.
“It’s as if they need to learn the size of their bodies– the breadth of their being– in order to go out into the world and participate in it.”
Yes, it’s a joy to watch happening….
I think this is the best Mother’s Day post I have read today. Thank you Lisa!
So lovely … I know intimately the twin knowledge that I have done my best AND that I can do better. xoxo
I think you should be elected King (Queen) of Everything.
Beautiful mom and beautiful children!
This a touching post, so personal and quiet. You are right, doing one’s best is all anyone could ever ask or expect. Happy Mother’s Day!
Lisa,
Motherhood really is a joy isn’t it? And it keeps getting better and better. That’s the best thing about it. And you know, when my kids were little, I used to worry about doing everything perfectly, but kids don’t care about perfect. So yes, just acknowledging we’ve done our best is a good thing.
Beautiful, beautiful post.
<3