One of the greatest joys of my life has to be being pregnant. I’m aware that this isn’t the most popular view of pregnancy, but I loved every second of it (besides the natural child birth). I have never felt more alive or more animal. I loved having our daughter growing inside me. She was an easy baby too, so we were very lucky with that. She rarely cried.

She challenged us to hell and back as a toddler and I have to say the terrible twos were more like two and a half to four and a half. My mother said over and over again, how you deal with her now (meaning her tantrums and outbursts) will reflect in her teenage years. Well I don’t know if we did something right or if we got damn lucky, but she has been a great teenager. She really is an inspiration to me.

There were years when I didn’t feel very good about how I was showing up as a mother. Parenthood is challenging and juggling priorities doesn’t always come easy. Today if you asked me about being a mom, I’d say I’m pretty darn good at it. My worst fault is that I don’t always give her the undivided attention that she seeks. Online, work, and other things sometimes get in the way. However, she and I are so close and she shares about her life with me. I know about the people she is interested in, the frustrations she sometimes has with her friends, and the highs and lows of school. One of her best qualities is that you always know where she stands and what she’s thinking. There is no artifice with her.

I LOVE when she goes and stays at a friend’s house because she invariably comes home and says, “You are the best parents in the world.” Now, I know that’s a stretch but I don’t think we are doing half bad.

In addition to my lovely daughter who is about to graduate from high school, I’m fortunate enough to have two wonderful grown stepdaughters. It’s a different type of relationship as I didn’t raise either of them fulltime, but it’s a love that I’m so grateful to have.

Being a mom was something I always knew I wanted to do and luckily, I’ve had the chance.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there who know the struggles and rewards of parenthood.

A special shout out to my mother whom I’m so fortunate to have in my life. Your friendship and support means the world to me. I love you.

Warmest hugs,

Blakely

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