I remember the day I took my first-born home from the hospital like it was yesterday. As we prepared for our departure from the hospital to the real world, I panicked, realizing I was now responsible for caring for this helpless, fragile bundle of life.
Who was I to take on this responsibility? I felt unprepared, compared to the years of education and training I endured for every other important position in my life. I was given the most delicate gift; a 7 pound 13-ounce baby boy. Where was my license or degree or certificate stating I was authorized to do this role called “motherhood?”
Thanks to advice from family and friends, along with an overload of reference books on babies, intuition and trial and error, I found my way. I survived and grew.
And so did he.
Naively, I thought that wild, uncertain feeling would fade after the newborn stage. Little did I know there would be many learning curves along the journey, including introducing a new sibling, starting school and, now, the teenage years.
It is really funny how as parents, we aim to teach our children so much, yet often they teach us many life lessons as well. Through all the hiccups and life milestones, there was growth — for all of us.
I am incredibly excited to be on the journey learning the joys of parenthood. That is one of the great things about the Kudos community, we have an opportunity to share moms’ stories about finding balance and provide insight from health care professionals. We are all a work in progress.
Parenthood is a lifelong journey and always changing. There really is not a one-size-fits-all road map. But there are many resources and organizations to help guide you, including Hurley Children’s Hospital. While we are busy meeting parenthood demands, Hurley has created resources to support you and your family with information about health and wellness to help them thrive and innovative, life-saving programs for the times your children are ill or injured.
Regardless of how much we plan or anticipate the future, unexpected challenges will come our way. But together, we can navigate gracefully through the joys of parenthood.
Kudos Magazine 4.1
Publisher Elizabeth Marasco