International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day to all of the STRONG, FIERCE, UNIQUE women who come across this post.

This year, more so than in past years, I’m truly reflecting on what it means to be a woman, the women I have looked up to, and how my views on womanhood have changed as I’ve gotten older.

Growing up, my mom raised me as a single parent. I watched as she worked multiple jobs to support us and managed to still be at every single one of my sporting events, awards ceremonies, choir concerts, etc. My Nana, who often filled the gaps as a “second parent” for me, was a huge part of my life as well and is another amazing woman I look up to.

I never understood the importance of appreciating the female body until I birthed two children. Our bodies are BEASTS. The miracle of life is amazing in and of itself, but when you think about everything the female body does in that process? WOW. I have a new respect for my body, even if it’s sometimes hard to love what I see in the mirror.

Greatest Accomplishment… What is That?

I was recently interviewed by a recruiter and one of her questions was, “what do you consider to be one of your greatest accomplishments within the last few years?”.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to be transparent and tell her focusing on my mental health was my greatest accomplishment.

Looking back on the interview, I have two takeaways from how I answered:

1. Being proud of my ability to tackle my mental health and seek help for my anxiety IS an accomplishment and I have every right to feel proud. Being transparent with her made me more personable and she celebrated my answer and authenticity. Ultimately, I’m glad it’s the answer I chose, but….

2. I have been out of the workforce for A WHILE. My initial panic set in and said “what in the world have I accomplished?”. Explain to me why my ability to raise my two children (both girls) into sweet, smart, caring individuals wasn’t the first thing I thought of?

I’ll tell you why. As moms, at least good ones, we feel it is our responsibility to care for and raise up children that are good, kind, capable, etc., but view it as an accomplishment? Maybe, maybe not.

I’ll be the first to say I’m so incredibly lucky and proud to be a mom, but I have always considered that the result of how great my kids are, but haven’t really considered/accepted that I played a part in that.

The truth is, moms (and dads) play a HUGE part in how a child acts, learns, grows, and is perceived by others. I recognize that, celebrate it even, but never for myself. I applaud other moms with ease on their patience, their ability to teach their children, and their skills at being supermom, so why don’t I recognize myself for those same feats?

I could spend hours writing why. I could tell you every single fragment of self-doubt, lack of confidence, and disconnect I feel with my own capabilities. Instead, I’ll say this:

I am committing to better my own views of myself. My mental health improving is a great accomplishment, but would be even greater if I would stop doing so much damage to it on my own. Let me say that again, I do damage to my own mental health. What a crazy, elucidating thought.

Fellow moms, know that we are rockstars in our own ways and being a mom should always feel like not just an obligation or a responsibility or even a blessing, but an ACCOMPLISHMENT, too.