It’s May, the Month of the Mama. While Mother’s Day is one day this month, we try to use the month to continuously celebrate and recognize the difficult and rewarding job that is motherhood. Recently I used a question of the day to start a class: If you hope your child would describe how they feel about you in one word, what would it be? I got so many wonderful answers like safe, loved, cared for, etc. These are all things we, as mothers, want to provide to our children. The answer I gave was “proud”. This gets emotional for me.
My first Body Well (previously Body Back) session we were asked why we were doing it. I will always remember vividly breaking down, completely sobbing, saying I needed to do something for myself and simultaneously saying I wanted to be someone my kids could be proud of. Pride means many things, but I wanted to become a mom where they can look at me with love and admiration and happily say,”that’s my mama!”. I want to be a positive role model for them. I reflect on that moment all the time.
Carrying on in the day to day of motherhood, you are who your child sees and follows. In order to give the best to them, you have to be the best version of yourself. For me that is not an every day occurrence (anyone else?). Struggles are real - energy, time, motivation, desire. I know when I take moments to take care of myself I am a better person to be around. Exercise makes me happier - thank you endorphin rush - and being around others who understand my situation makes me feel better doing it too. We’re an exclusive club. If you’re not a mom, you don’t always get it. That best version of myself is who I want my children to see most frequently, and the person I want them to be proud of.
This is the Month of the Mama - so thank you to my children for officially making me a mama and bringing endless amount of laughter and joy to my life. Thank you to the women of this village, who supported me as I fell apart those years ago not knowing what to do to help myself. Thank you to FIT4MOM for creating a space for mother’s to bond, relieve stress and relish in the highs and lows of motherhood, but never having to feel alone in the process. We are together in a wonderful place.
-Stephanie