You Get to Decide What Kind of Mom You Are

I had a pinnacle moment in mom-hood in April. I had failed at getting anything together for my soon to be 2 year old son for Easter. And my internal mom guilt was being slathered on thick.

My mother would pull together Easter baskets brimming with goodies and toys, stuffed bunnies and glittery paper that wow-ed my sister and I into a sugary coma after diving into them with two hands every Easter Sunday.

Kudos to my mom for remembering and planning for holidays better than I have in my (now) two years of motherhood (As a side note - I suspect with more time being a Mom, I won’t be so last minute for every holiday), but my husband blindsided me with a mic drop moment. 

I ordered a handful of age appropriate toys for pick up at the local Target, whereupon I also scrambled to find a boy-ish basket with not much success and I came home deflated. Ya know what my husband told me? “Erica, you get to decide what kind of Mom you are.”

It was so simple, so revelatory, so what I needed at that moment. I could be like my mom - basket brimming to run out to find on Easter morning. I could focus more on creating a special experience on the day with no toys, I could do a few odds and ends to mark the occasion… I could do whatever I wanted! I’m the Mom now!

In my teary-eyed moment, of my husband entirely catching me off guard… It prompted me to realize that there are many wonderful things I would love to carry forward from my mother, and overstuffed baskets may or may not be one of them (the jury is still out). However, maybe you had a different scenario. Maybe your mother didn’t make the forward effort you would have wanted, but here’s the delightful truth about right now - You get to decide!

Consider this journal prompt for your next writing session - What sort of legacy do you want to leave behind? What sort of rich childhood experiences do you want your children to grin and remember with nostalgia? Because you Mama - get to make them happen!