I adore our Celebrating Moms Series. This series is a place to nurture mothers and cheer each other on as we make unique decisions on this parenting journey. I appreciate all of the mothers who join us to share their stories. For the Celebrating Moms Series: Guest Post #7 we have Olga Mecking from The European Mama.
Torn
by Olga Mecking
I sometimes find myself in front of the computer, browsing the Internet for… job openings. It is crazy, I know. I have three children under 5 years old. I barely manage to do household chores and find time for myself and care for the children and my husband. I also have my blog that is a great joy to write and an occasional job as a trainer in intercultural communication. Oh, did I mention that I freelance as a translator and writer sometimes?
But if I believed that the Universe is telling me something about my choices, and occasionally I do, I’d be very anxious about the message it is giving me. You see, the day I went into labour with my third child, I received an email from my boss asking me whether I’d be willing to offer not one, but two presentations about cultural differences. They are not only fun to do, but also a great excuse to go to Amsterdam, and earn some money. Obviously, I had to say “no”, as much as it pained me- pun not intended.
After birth I went on blogging like crazy. I was tired, but creative and overflowing with ideas.
Except my thoughts totally stop when I sit down to nurse my little baby boy; when I look into his eyes, trying to figure out what kind of person he is; when I touch his silky-soft cheek with mine, and when he shows me that he enjoys it; when I talk to that tornado of colourful frocks and blond hair that is my eldest daughter. When I marvel how much she can talk right now. When I suddenly see my little girl walking all by herself, without any help; when she comes to me and wants to know the names of everything around her. Occasionally I find so much peace with my children and that perfectly balances out the chaos that is going on inside of me.
I guess being a mom means always being torn: between giving your children the freedom to find themselves and keeping them safe; between finding time for yourself and time to be with the children. Between wanting to be financially independent and being a housewife.
But in my case, being torn means having the best of all worlds. It means having choices. It means making my own decisions on how I want to live my life, parent my children, manage my household. Maybe torn isn’t even the right word? I think “stretched” would much better describe how I feel about my life right now. Some stretching is always good because it allows us to try out different things, to learn and to grow. It allows us to find our own ways. However difficult and uncomfortable stretching sometimes is, I would not change it for the world.
About Olga Mecking
Olga is a blogger, translator and trainer in intercultural communication. She writes about her experiences of living abroad and raising children with many languages on her blog, The European Mama.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/europeanmamablog
Twitter:https://twitter.com/TheEuropeanMama
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/olencjaba/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/europeanmama
Click here to read more stories from the Celebrating Moms Series. Do you have a story to share about motherhood? Please submit your stories to
in**@ho**************.com
.
