I could write a book about how motherhood has impacted my life.
The short answer? It has changed every single aspect of my life. Everything I do, I do with my children in mind – from having a healthier lifestyle to what I like to do in my free time (if ever I have any).
Obviously, the thing I want most for my children is happiness; but if I’m being honest, I want my kids to be good and do good.
I’m more strict than I thought I would be. I always imagined myself to be the lenient parent while my husband would be the strict one. I could not be more wrong. I give my toddler more timeouts in a day than my husband gives in a week.
Yet, becoming a mom has helped me show more compassion.
As a nurse, I have always sympathized with people on a daily basis. Becoming a mother has given me the ability to relate to parents of pediatric patients. And being a nurse totally has its benefits when you have kids! You have a better idea of what warrants a trip to urgent care and what can only be resolved over time.
My biggest advice to new moms is to take all the help they can get!
When my first son was just a newborn, I thought that I could handle everything – take care of a baby, cook, clean, get back in shape, etc. Very quickly I learned that I was very wrong. I’m a very stubborn and proud person, so it took me a while to accept help from my husband and other family members.
Everyone knows that being a mom is hard work, but you will never know just how much work it is until you become a parent yourself.
My mom and I have always had a great relationship and becoming a mom myself has made our relationship even stronger. I have a newfound appreciation for my mother and all the sacrifices she has made to give me and my brother the best life she could give.
Page Herrera
Page Herrera is a wife and mother based in Orange County, California who has been married to her husband Ralph for 4 years. A part-time blogger and part-time nurse, she enjoys baking, watching movies, and going to Disneyland with her family. You can connect with Page on Instagram. Select photos courtesy of Christina Cho photography.