The best way to learn is undeniably to teach

I used to dream about becoming a parent. When I envisioned motherhood, it was all rainbows and butterflies. A sweet little baby wrapped up in the softest cotton, his eyes bright and wondrous. His giggles like music in the air.  And me, I would be prancing around the house trimming fresh flowers, whipping up a delicious meal, feeling that completeness that only comes with becoming a mother…This fantasy is not only what I imagined, it’s what I expected.  

I envisioned all that I would teach my children. The wisdom I would share. The life lessons I would impart.

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW

• Is that every child is their own unique spirit animal. Sometimes they are on our page. Sometimes they challenge our Every. Single. Word.  And in them doing so, we learn more about ourselves than we could have ever imagined. How we handle adversity. How we deal with chaos.  And more than anything else, how to appreciate that our children have their very own wants, needs, desires and dreams, which may very well differ from our own.

• Is that we can’t always control everything, no matter HOW HARD WE TRY. Although some of our most beautiful moments of bliss and awe-inspired love do indeed come from parenthood, sometimes, darling, it’s just a shit storm. At times we just have to trudge through it like soldiers, having faith that no moment, no feeling and no energy is constant. The tough times will indeed get better. And, if we are mindful enough, we can release the pain and hold onto the lessons that compliment every challenge.

 And perhaps the greatest realization I would discover in this beautiful chaos called parenthood, is that….

• The best way to learn is undeniably to teach. In becoming a mama to two brilliant and beautifully spirited babies, I would be entering into the biggest opportunity for my own personal development and spiritual growth. Every challenge. Every lesson. Every high. Every low. As parents, we are blessed again and again with the opportunity to not only support our children on their growth journey, but we get the beautiful chance to blossom ourselves. In removing the hierarchical parent-child relationship from our beliefs and expectations, and in seeing that our union is truly circular in nature, with every member of the family unit as both teacher and student, parenthood can be, the greatest gift of enlightenment. 

Guiding our children leads us to our own healing. When we become consciously aware of the life lessons we want to impart on them, when we are connected to the vision we cast for our family, we learn from every thought, value & lesson we share. Organically, and authentically, we learn and grow, heal and blossom, just as they do.