This morning on my walk, I was reminded what a superpower motherhood is.
I first came across Mother Duck wading in the creek. I admired her camouflage and how effortlessly she flowed through the water. I turned my gaze away for a second and heard a stern “quack.” When I looked back, a group of ducklings floated out from seemingly nowhere and started following her.
“Good for you, Mama,” I thought.
I continued on my walk, not thinking much of it, only to turn my gaze again and see Mama Deer nursing her baby. They were a good distance away from me, and I am pretty blind, but I could make out two babies and a mama staring me down.
The babies didn’t move. Mom stood still. They were completely in unison.
I stood there admiring her strength as she watched me from the other end of the trail. Then, when the threat of me wore off, the baby started nursing again. She didn’t move for me. She stood her ground and signaled to her babe, “Eat. I’ve got you.”
Well, now that I had encountered two mamas literally two minutes into my walk, I knew that was the theme for me.
As I walked, I began reflecting on my own superpowers as a mom. I have kids who are learning to navigate the world on their own and need me less and less to QUACK or STARE THEM DOWN.
They learned.
I also wondered how animals transition into adulthood. I remember watching a documentary about foxes, and it said that once the next litter of cubs is born, the babies from the previous litter get the signal and start finding their own territory to claim.
And that’s just how it goes.
The mom doesn’t cling to her baby cub, and somehow he knows he has everything he needs to succeed.
I also thought of all the ways I have grown as a human through my motherhood journey. And that gave me a sense of, “HOLY COW, I’M INCREDIBLE.”
Not in an ego-inflating way, but in a, “Man, I really can do anything” kind of way.
My thoughts throughout the walk were a mix of memories: remembering the “Camp Mom” experiences I created for my kids every summer, and the first power struggle I had with my firstborn as a newborn.
(Spoiler alert: she won.)
I guess I want to share a little more about that.
When my firstborn arrived, I had all the usual mom instincts: I am the adult. I keep you safe. You do what I say because I know things and you are a baby.
So I started following the advice.
“Babies need a regimented schedule.”
“Don’t hold them too much.”
“Let them nap in their own space.”
Well, that drove me to complete burnout because my newborn was like, “NO. HOLD ME! I WILL SLEEP WHEN I SLEEP!”
So, in a way, she QUACKED at me and STARED ME DOWN.
And I listened.
I started doing the complete opposite.
Baby napping ON TOP OF ME.
Gasp!
But do you know what happened within days?
I felt more like myself.
I felt rested.
I had clear thoughts.
And my newborn? She napped and did all the newborn things she was supposed to do.
As I reflect on that now, I realize it was one of the first ways motherhood taught me to do what was right for me and my family, not what was right according to the experts.
This return to myself, while serving the souls who chose me as their human protector, has been one of the biggest parts of my personal journey.
And while I thought I was doing everything for them, motherhood was quietly (or not so quietly at times) shaping me too.
As I was completing my walk, I had a thought:
“What if I served myself the way I serve my family?”
Initially, I felt uncomfortable with that question, but the curiosity was there.
And just then, I heard loud shrieks in the sky above me.
I looked up and saw a tiny bird chasing away a hawk.
This little bird against a massive predator.
And I thought, this MUST BE A Mama bird.
The fearlessness.
The drive.
The determination.
The “I will do anything” attitude.
And that gave me wings.
To follow that nudge to serve myself.
To care for and support myself the way I would my kids.
And to wonder what that might do not only for me, but for my family as well.
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