I’m a mom that’s proud of educating her kids with contradictions

Photo by TenderNest Portraits

I'm strong but many times weak. I'm a warrior, but sometimes I need for my prince to come rescue me on his galloping horse with his unsheathed sword. I have patience, but sometimes I lose it, and it takes me a couple of days to find it again. 

Most of the time I live my life in peace, with instants of pure and absolute anxiety that makes me appreciate even more my moments of tranquility. I have a plan almost every time. I like plans, I think about them, I analyze them, always knowing that they will change at some point. But even if they do, I love to anticipate what may come next.

My days start with a delicious solitude, that in an instant transforms into a sickening need of my kids' and husband's company, to then yearn for my alone space again. I’ve made lots of errors in my life that I now remember dearly. At the same time, I’ve made wise choices that sometimes I wish I hadn’t and ask myself what would have happened if I had chosen the foolish route instead.

I love to be rational with a touch of craziness. I start my trips with a nomad spirit that gradually dissolves into a sedentary one after a couple of weeks away from home. I consider myself just, although I admit I've made very unfair decisions, all coming from the heart.

I really enjoy how my body feels when I eat healthily but there's nothing I enjoy more than a juicy blue cheese and bacon burger. I love how endorphins make me feel after I go out for a run and adore the days that I choose to sleep in instead.

My children witness each and every one of these contradictions day in and day out. And that's when this old saying comes to my mind: Parents should teach by example. I agree we should all teach by example, but who said that our example as parents should always be perfect.

My example has more mistakes than wise choices. It has a marriage that argues and many times disagrees but knows how to reconcile and be madly in love. My example shows days of immense happiness, but also extreme sadness.

My example, instead of giving my children the suffocating pressure of accomplishment accumulation, shows them instead that failure is inevitable and that we should not hide it; that we should embrace it in order to be able to learn and reflect from it.

That's why today I receive and celebrate this Mother's Day from a different angle and with a lighter perspective. Today I celebrate my day proudly by showing my children each and every one of the contradictions that make me who I am and that probably will forge who they become.

Happy Mother’s Day.