Thoughts about motherhood on my third Mother's Day
My third Mother's Day was spent walking in the woods, enjoying the fresh air, wondering about motherhood while chasing after a toddler.
When I was pregnant, a little past the due date we went shopping for the last little baby items. As we were walking between the isles, a Nigerian lady came and spoke to me.
She asked me was I expecting a girl and I responded that's what I have been told. As her own daughter, who was holding her own little baby, shouted at her mum for being so embarrassing and to leave strangers alone, this lady stayed to have a little chat.
She told me that our baby would be a "contented little baby". She told our baby would be an especially happy and contented baby, as you could physically feel the love between us and the baby would soak it all up. She told us we would get two more children. Our baby to be born would be very musical and music would be important to her. "Piano, piano, I'm telling you" she repeated.
I would be a "real earth mother", a natural born mother, and she felt she had to come and talk to me after seeing how beautifully my aura radiated. As she went back to her embarrassed looking daughter she wished us all the best for the future, and to stay strong, as strong love attracts people that want to tear it down.
As the years have passed, I feel like many of the things she said have happened. My baby was a contented little baby. Always happy, quite quiet, easily pleased, easily managed. She may not always have been easy, as what babies are and she may not be an easy toddler, but as for being happy and contented? Yes, unequivocally yes.
Was I ever an earth mother? Motherhood sure felt like it came natural to me. It never was a struggle in any way. It just sort of happened, a happy little event in my life that I took on my stride. Maybe it was because my daughter was overall an easy baby, something many family members mentioned when they spent time with her. Or maybe it was just because being a mother is and feels natural, to me anyway. I can appreciate it is not the same for everyone, in fact, many loud voices online and offline do seem to make it out to be a hard tiresome slog. I have never felt that. It has been nothing but joy. Perhaps interspersed with exhaustion and long nights spent awake, but overall, a joyful experience.
Celebrating motherhood on a Mother's Day sometimes feels a bit silly, as I don't feel any different from what I was before and I don't feel like I have really done anything. I just have a tiny little shadow with me.
But celebrate we did of course. For my third Mother's Day I didn't want anything special. Just a card,
to eat breakfast out and to go for a nice family walk in a forest. Well,
I got my card and I got my walk, but as the restaurant was far too busy
we ended up having a very late and quite luxurious Mother's Day brunch
back home. During our walk we also gave all the dummies to baby
hedgehogs - a surprisingly successful strategy to persuade a toddler to
give her dummies away!
How was your Mother's Day? And how do you feel about motherhood?
Sounds like a perfect day x
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely, could not have asked for better!
DeleteI wonder how many more of her predictions will come true. What a lovely day. It would be my favourite way to spend Mother's day too. #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteYeah I am not fussed about doing anything too far out there for Mother's Day - just relaxing and enjoying the day with kids :) (although a breakfast in bed would probably have been a nice touch! :D )
DeleteWhat an incredible story about the Nigerian lady, she sounds really interesting, I wonder if your daughter will take the the Piano too? Lovely photos our and about together and your 3rd Mother's day sounds pretty perfect to me. I think mine was similar, my kids all came to the beach with me after breakfast at home. Thank you for sharing with me over at #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteI wonder that too - she does enjoy playing the piano at grandparents but I guess it is a bit too early still :) we shall see in a few year show she takes to music!
DeleteIt is a lovely way to spend a Mother's Day isn't it - I wish we had a beach nearby too, it would be brilliant to get a bit of fresh sea air!
What a beautiful post and I love the way the Nigerian lady came over to tell you that your baby would be very contented and that you would be an earth mother. Your post certainly does radiate that love and joy that motherhood can bring and your 3rd Mother's Day sounds blissful. I wonder if your little one will grow up to enjoy the piano too. Love the idea of giving the dummies to the baby hedgehogs - my eldest gave up hers in the run-up towards Christmas for the baby reindeers to have so their mummies could leave them with the elves on Christmas Eve and deliver the presents. She still remembers that story. Looks like you had a lovely Mother's Day walk with your beautiful girl :-)
ReplyDeleteI love that story of the baby reindeers! That is just so incredibly cute :) my daughter keeps on talking about the baby hedgehogs as well even now, every once in a while she tells us how baby hedgehogs are very happy now and mummy hedgehog have her a gift (we swapped the dummies for a Skye puppy...).
DeleteIt was such a strange meeting with the Nigerian lady, but a really positive one. I do wonder how much of the things she said would happen will happen! A friend of mine seems to have met the same lady another time as well and some of the things she said to her about her unborn baby came true too :D
What an interesting story about the Nigerian lady!! Fascinating. Such an honest and positive post about motherhood...I really had no idea how I would take to motherhood but really did find it very natural too. Looks like a wonderful mother's day. #countrykids
ReplyDeleteI wasn't really sure what motherhood would be like either, as you do hear accounts of how miserable it can be and lonely an all that. I have had a lovely time so far and hope it will continue this way :) glad to hear motherhood has been such a positive experience for you too :)
DeleteThis is really lovely Sanna and what a lovely lady to come and talk to you about that, I would have definitely kept all the things she said with me over the years too. Fascinating. And it sounds like you are definitely a natural mother. x
ReplyDeleteIt really was a fascinating encounter and it will be interesting to see if the things she said will happen :D a friend of mine reckons she met the same lady and she had said some weird things that ended up happening too!
DeleteAaw this is a nice story :) I found it very natural and easy with my first, but now rather stressful and crazy with having two and the first now being a threenager! :) But like you say, overall it's the most joyful experience ever and any bad will always be outweighed by the enormity of the good!
ReplyDeleteHmm yes, I can imagine having two that young would be quite stressful! No doubt, especially at the threenager stage (we have a stroppy one here too...). But as long as overall it is a positive experience, then that counts the most doesn't it!
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