From my kids and me, we say a happy new year to my fellow parents in the #motherhood community. It's indeed a privilege for us to see an exciting year come together and keep exchanging ideas to assist everyone in our parenthood journey.
Looking back at my parenthood journey this past year, I will say it's a 365 days full of adventures of both the good and the bad, and the learning phases, with memories so dear to my heart. I also had experiences with my children that have affected my parenthood positively, and I will quickly share the recap with you all.
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I have known that I am not in any way close to being a perfect parent. I have always tried to be open-minded and learn from my fellow parents and be a great parent to my children, but this past year, I learned more from my kids. As each day passes by, I discover that they are getting a little bit of maturity in their minds and could leave me with some questions that I will have no answer to immediately. Especially my second son, he became more sensitive to his environment and could correct me immediately when I handled them in an unusual way.
Most times, I get overwhelmed with work here and there and get stressed out. Instead of having some rest, I transfer aggression to my kids, and my second son will draw my attention to the kind of mom they used to have and ask me what went wrong. I got broken several times as I watched him console his siblings and tell them to be calm because Mummy was in a bad mood. This singular action was a great lesson I learned in a hard way as I reflected on how my actions were gradually becoming the norm. I am glad my kids were sensitive enough and had the boldness to confront me. I felt ashamed and took a correction immediately. This happened in the first quarter of last year when my husband lost his job. I understand that I was under pressure but wrong to allow that to affect my kids for a short while. However, I handled the situation almost immediately, and we had a smooth transition for the rest of the months.
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My first son, who has been battling with health challenges for some years now, didn't encounter much of it this past year. Unlike the previous years, when I lost count of our admissions in the hospital, he was admitted just twice last year, even though it was a very bad experience for me as a mother watching him unconscious for 8 hours. I learned how to keep a close eye on his health. I bought medical equipment as instructed by the doctor and had him checked at home regularly. It took him to see the doctor always to be sure he didn't encounter an emergency as it used to be. I guess all these measures helped to improve his health, plus God's hand on him, as I never relented in praying for him.
It was also a year when I was so deliberate with their academics and made lots of efforts to see them excel better. My second son, on the other hand, graduated from pre-school to grade school with an award.
I set rules at home and a learning time table, which we strictly followed to the point that even my last baby, who hasn't started school, was positively affected. He became so interested in learning that he wanted to scribble at all times. He will be starting school next Monday, and I anticipate a smooth beginning due to how much he has learned from his brothers.
The past year was a year I didn't joke with getting them to grow spiritually. Some of these teachings are better learned and practiced at an early age, and it was a nice result in getting them to study the scriptures and attend catechism.
At home, we practiced cooking together most times while I taught them how to make simple meals, guided them in washing breakable plates, mopping the house, and sweeping to their capabilities. My little garden wasn't left out, as we were always there to nurture the veggies, learn to weed, harvest, and much more.
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I didn't fail to create quality time to take them out there for fun activities. This wasn't a regular thing, but the few times we stepped out, it was full of awesome memories that they always remembered and talked about.
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I also enrolled my older son in the music class, which he finds interesting. I taught him it's a nice skill to nurture, and he has been doing well with it, leading his group in school. My other son, too, fell in love with chess, and I didn't overlook his interest as well. I have been working hard, and God has been blessing my wallet to attend to these important needs in my kids lives, and I am grateful for that.
I'm more grateful that I didn't fall seriously ill all through last year; otherwise, it would have been a difficult journey. We all began as a family and ended the year together as the one family we are. There were mistakes, but we learned together and bonded more. I also explored our culture with them, and they improved in learning their mother tongue, dresses, food, music, etc. I think I get better each day with this taskful motherhood role, even though the role is too demanding, but I enjoy the ride as the kids make the journey worth it.
Overall, it was a great year full of adventure, lessons, and growth, and I anticipate a better 2024 for me and my kids.
All images are mine.
Thanks for reading.
