Positive Results by Sabrina

There are different types of moms and parents. We’re all human. We have our own baggage and goals for the future so we can’t be expected to do everything the same, right?

We’ve seen some of the diversity:

The moms who lose their identity and spend their entire lives taking care of their babies.

The moms who continue to build the lives they were dreaming of and bring their babies along for the ride.

The moms that live vicariously through their babies and put them into all of the activities that they never got to experience as children.

The moms that reach for the moon now that they’re moms.

Some of us have a little of everything inside of us. It’s not our job to judge the other mothering styles. I just like to pay attention as we go along. I’ve been a mom for almost three decades. It’s given me a lot of time to observe and reflect.

As a coach and your friend, my goal is always that being a mother gives you wings, rather than building you a cage. My goal is that knowing that you have those beauties watching you inspires you to reach for more, try new things and keep going.

I can remember one of the first times I was consciously braver because I knew my kids were watching. We were hanging out with family during the era where every family gathering required some version of Just Dance or Garage Band. Somehow I ended up with the microphone and was expected to sing a song I only vaguely knew. Every ounce of me objected but my girls were there and they were playing along too. If I refused to try, I’d only be teaching them to do the same thing. Instead, I decided to borrow a bit of their bravery and kept playing along. We all survived. There was no humiliation on either part and it wasn’t like I was never invited back to the family parties because of my poor performance. 

All these years later, I’m thankful that my kids continue to inspire me to be brave. Recently, I watched Amelia running around the Discovery Museum, making friends, trying new things and exploring the world in the way that only toddlers can. This was the first time that we’d gone there without Daddy and she commented on it. When I reassured her that “Mommy can take you to the museum alone,” it was as much for me as it was for her. I’m not a big fan of being in crowds by myself with my children. I’ve worked hard to expose my kids to a variety of activities throughout their lives but I almost always make sure we have at least one more adult with us. I’ve heard too many horror stories and seen too many movies. But every once in a while, I venture far outside of my comfort zone and I enjoy it. I’m reminded to be brave. I’m reminded to explore and observe. I’m reminded that I can do hard things.

I thought about this again while volunteering for the Girls on the Run 5k. You could tell which mom’s were ready to complete that 5k and which ones chose to show up for their babies even though races weren’t their cup of tea. I was stationed half way up the first, possibly only, hill on the course so I got the unfiltered view of the runners. Moms and dads shared their discomfort and pain out loud. Others cheered and challenged their babies to keep going, hold steady or ramp it up. It was very entertaining to watch.

The most important thing to me was that each of them chose to show up. We love to support the women who are still willing to learn, grow and explore, whether the motivation is their children or their own desire for more. Seeing the kids experience the race, filled with sparkle, joy and a little hard work, was amazing. Those are the positive experiences that we hope will become core memories for our children. The girls trained for months for that day. Some of the mothers may have trained with them. Others just decided to be brave and show up. But everyone of them chose to devote those hours to their children and it was a beautiful thing to witness.

What motivates you to try new things? When WAS the last time you were brave? What do you need to summon more bravery to try? Share in the comments so that we can all cheer you on!