The Joy of My Life
No. 105 - I never want to forget that motherhood is really, really fun
A lot of the narrative around motherhood — especially on the internet — is about how hard it is.
The late nights of the newborn phase, the potty training struggles, the meltdowns while they’re learning boundaries, the loneliness, the exhaustion, the overstimulation of it all.
Yes, all of that is true.
But I never want to forget how incredibly fun parenting is, too.
Motherhood has brought me some of the greatest joy I’ve ever known, and the beauty of it is that so much has come from the most ordinary moments of being together.
So much of my life wouldn’t look the same if I wasn’t a mom. So much of what I’m doing right now, I simply wouldn’t be doing.
Like jumping in a bounce house at my three-year-old’s birthday party, or building giant Magna-Tile castles before school. Eating ice cream cones in the middle of a weekend afternoon, or making s’mores in the backyard on a Sunday night.
Building Lego kits — something I never did as a kid — and watching my children discover Disney World for the first time, rediscovering that wonder right alongside them.
It’s all so much fun.
In my twenties, fun looked like staying out late at bars, happy hours with coworkers, weekend trips with my girlfriends. And that was a really great season. But the joy I feel now is something different. Something more peaceful, more genuine.
It’s the joy of watching my kids experience everything for the very first time, and the renewed appreciation I discover through their eyes.
It’s the joy of being completely unencumbered — no one’s judging whether a bounce house is cool, or whether grown adults should be this excited about a Lego kit. My kids don’t care, so I don’t either. And somewhere in that, I’ve gotten a little piece of childhood back.
We snuggle on the couch and introduce them to our favorite childhood movies — most recently Cool Runnings, which my boys absolutely loved.
They’ve gone backyard camping and told stories by flashlight. Which to them, was as much of an adventure as Yellowstone.
My husband says coaching t-ball this season has been some of the most fun of his life, and my son thinks his dad is as good as Nolan Ryan.
We’re each experiencing new things, together.
I know each season of their childhood will bring new challenges. But I also know now that it’ll bring this — this specific, unguarded kind of happiness I didn’t even know I was missing until they handed it back to me.
I’m so grateful they did.
🎶 I’ve been listening to the new Mumford & Sons album on repeat, the whole album is great. I especially love their song with Hozier.
📺 I love love loved, Love Story, the Hulu series about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. It may not be historically accurate, but the love story captured me, and the 90s fashion was pure nostalgia. Definitely check it out.
🥛 I’m not big on breakfast, unless we’re talking about brunch! But I’ve been drinking these Chobani Drinkable Yogurts and they’re filling and delicious, plus have 20G of protein.
There’s so many new subscribers this week, and I’m so glad to have you here! Welcome Angelica T., Megan S., Emilee H., Bronwyn T., Brie H., Diana C., Sarah B., Rachel B., Lauren R., Kathryn W., and Ellen G.
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you all have a great weekend!
From The Modern Motherhood Musings Archive:
So important to reflect on these things. I love that having kids gives me a reason to go down the big slide, and I love that someone I made myself gives me a handmade card everyday that says "I love you" inside. There's so much joy in it. Thank you for sharing xo