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Abstract

iversity, find partners of their own and leave me with hours of time to myself.I wish someone told me it wasn’t just a myth.I wish I knew on that particular day when I was too busy on the computer to play with my daughter that one day she too would be busy on her own laptop doing homework.If I knew what I know now, I would tell myself to have more picnics with my children. I would tell myself not to bother making the ‘perfect’ picnic food. Fruit, sandwiches, and cookies would be loved and appreciated.Had I known a picnic could be a picnic without homemade potato salad and fried chicken we would have had picnics every weekend.If I knew then, what I know now, I would tell the younger me to really notice my children. To openly see them even when they’re in a public place crying, yelling, kicking or screaming. I would tell myself to truly appreciate the humour..It’s okay because my 21 year old son no longer throws himself on the ground in an academy award winning temper tantrum performance. And I never saw those strangers in the grocery store again. I would tell myself not to worry so much about what other people thought.I would tell myself to always say yes to one more story before bed. Always.I would tell myself as a young mother not to let life upset me or prevent my being emotionally present. I would force myself to block out everything and be in the moment with my children.To really be in that moment.It’s okay to worry about those problems later in life. I will have time.<p id="4

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022">I would tell myself to sleep earlier, and be less tired the next day. I would tell myself that in 20 years I would soon have too much time to watch late night movies.I would tell myself to spend more time enjoying the interaction between my children when they played. As I now quietly watch other young families from a distance. I notice the special interaction between the children and I wonder if the young parents notice it too.Did I notice my own children enough or was I too wrapped up in the adult world.I wish I knew on that one spring day when we painted rocks outside that those days wouldn’t last forever, and had I known, we would have painted more rocks. We would have painted an entire rock garden.I would tell myself that being a parent is the most important and rewarding job I would have in my life. That even though I enjoyed so much of it, I would tell myself that those days are limited and to spend just one more hour building that Lego tower, and to colour one more picture of a princess.I would tell myself those dishes could wait. Dinner can be late.If I knew then what I know now I would have worked less, worried less, complained less.I would tell myself that raising children is like a drive down a long scenic road, but the destination is closer than we think.I would tell myself to enjoy every moment of that drive because sooner than you realize it will be your own children driving down that long scenic road to their own destination.I wish I had known.</article></body>

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What I Wish I Knew

My advice to young mothers everywhere

They started singing to the unsuspecting woman standing out on the balcony of her third floor apartment. They sang an old folk song, relatively melancholic yet beautiful. I mean truly, it was a beautiful whimsical folk song with organic musical instruments.

This surprise event had me surprisingly emotional. A group of approximately 20 people walked past my ground level apartment with several balloons and musical instruments. Two oversized neon coloured helium balloons, standing strong, marking the occasion with a modest two digit number.

Her 80th birthday reminded me that life always moves forward. Her milestone birthday reminded me that my own milestone birthday is just around the corner, as is my daughter’s.

As I was listening to the serenade two of the most poignant words came to mind; missed opportunities.

I wish I knew the weight those words held when I was a young mother.

I wish I knew that one day I would wake up and no longer be the most important person in my childrens’ lives. I wish someone warned me that one day yes, they actually would move out, go to university, find partners of their own and leave me with hours of time to myself.

I wish someone told me it wasn’t just a myth.

I wish I knew on that particular day when I was too busy on the computer to play with my daughter that one day she too would be busy on her own laptop doing homework.

If I knew what I know now, I would tell myself to have more picnics with my children. I would tell myself not to bother making the ‘perfect’ picnic food. Fruit, sandwiches, and cookies would be loved and appreciated.

Had I known a picnic could be a picnic without homemade potato salad and fried chicken we would have had picnics every weekend.

If I knew then, what I know now, I would tell the younger me to really notice my children. To openly see them even when they’re in a public place crying, yelling, kicking or screaming. I would tell myself to truly appreciate the humour..It’s okay because my 21 year old son no longer throws himself on the ground in an academy award winning temper tantrum performance. And I never saw those strangers in the grocery store again. I would tell myself not to worry so much about what other people thought.

I would tell myself to always say yes to one more story before bed. Always.

I would tell myself as a young mother not to let life upset me or prevent my being emotionally present. I would force myself to block out everything and be in the moment with my children.

To really be in that moment.

It’s okay to worry about those problems later in life. I will have time.

I would tell myself to sleep earlier, and be less tired the next day. I would tell myself that in 20 years I would soon have too much time to watch late night movies.

I would tell myself to spend more time enjoying the interaction between my children when they played. As I now quietly watch other young families from a distance. I notice the special interaction between the children and I wonder if the young parents notice it too.

Did I notice my own children enough or was I too wrapped up in the adult world.

I wish I knew on that one spring day when we painted rocks outside that those days wouldn’t last forever, and had I known, we would have painted more rocks. We would have painted an entire rock garden.

I would tell myself that being a parent is the most important and rewarding job I would have in my life. That even though I enjoyed so much of it, I would tell myself that those days are limited and to spend just one more hour building that Lego tower, and to colour one more picture of a princess.

I would tell myself those dishes could wait. Dinner can be late.

If I knew then what I know now I would have worked less, worried less, complained less.

I would tell myself that raising children is like a drive down a long scenic road, but the destination is closer than we think.

I would tell myself to enjoy every moment of that drive because sooner than you realize it will be your own children driving down that long scenic road to their own destination.

I wish I had known.