Over the loud music of a car ride home we would talk about the future.
Ever the dreamer and planner, I had it all figured out.
I would never wear mom-sweats (today’s yoga pant).
Makeup would be a must before leaving the house.
My pedicured foot would never touch the gas pedal of a minivan, only an SUV would do.
I would balance the corporate world and motherhood perfectly, my college degree far to important to “waste.”
And I would never let myself go “down hill” just because I was older and married and comfortable.
My future, prince-charming of a husband would be so lucky. I would be the mom husbands dreamt of having.
Fast forward many years, children and countless lessons in the realities of life, and there is so much I wish I could tell my disillusioned, teenage self.
I wish I could have told her that life is not about looks and what kind of car you drive.
That with age comes experience and confidence and being true to who you are.
That being a mom, a good mom, has so much more to do with your heart and your spirit than what you wear to your first Mommy and Me class.
That turning the head of a guy when you look your best, pales in comparison to having a husband who will hold your hand and wipe your tears when you’re at your worst.
And your worth, what you truly feel good about, has nothing to do with what anyone thinks, except for those beautiful little people kissing your make up free cheek or tugging your yoga pants, as you lift them quickly into the minivan because you’re late for a very important meeting… lunch with their Daddy.
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This was my favorite line: “That turning the head of a guy when you look your best, pales in comparison to having a husband who will hold your hand and wipe your tears when you’re at your worst.”
I think the tough moments have definitely been what have brought my husband and I the closest. I will always cherish how he has helped me through when I ugly-cry.
If I had a dollar for all the things I said I’d never do once I became a mom that I went ahead and did anyway . . .this is a really beautiful portrayal of how this all just happens anyway. How all that stuff we thought was so important just isn’t once we fall in love with them all. 🙂
It’s funny how many things just aren’t a big deal when we get older… thank goodness.
this was beautiful, and timely for me. I wish I could stop viewing myself through someone else’s lens and know that my worth if locked up inside me…waiting for me to ACCEPT it and let it out.
thank you for always writing things that resonate with me and cause me to breathe just a little deeper, think a little clearer.
I know I tie too much of myself up in what others think as well but no where near the way I used to. Thankfully I can claim much more of my mind than I used to.
Awwwww. Every word speaks truth. Beautiful!
Thanks so much Lauren.
Beautiful post. Oh the things I would tell my teenage self.
My list could be much, much longer :).
Although I’m still struggling not to base my worth on what other people think, I have accepted my make-up free, yoga pant wearing, minivan driving life. 🙂
I’m not good at that either but I used to be so incredibly self-conscious about how I looked all the time and I think motherhood has cured me of that.
Beautiful post. I have a whole lot that I would tell my teenage self. I just don’t think that my teenage self would believe me…
Exactly, I would have never listened to myself either.