Who are you? Remembering life before kids talks about the importance of being your unique self and not losing who you are to the busy life of the parenting world.
Who are you? A parent? An accountant? A business owner? No, those are things that you do.
Often, we get caught up in what we do, we forget who we are. I spent many years trying to be the best mom, wife, and teacher that I could be. I put all my energy into it because I enjoyed serving my family and my students. The problem was when my marriage ended, and my career became increasingly more difficult, I couldn’t recognize myself in the mirror. This made me realize that I had focused on everyone else for so long that I lost who I was. Stay-at-home parents fall into this same trap also because their world becomes their children. Every day, I see parents, entrepreneurs, and married couples forget the WHY of their routine. In my opinion, a mid-life crisis is sometimes a product of this phenomenon. One day we wake up and say, what? How did I get here?
Who are you? Life before kids.
We must continue to feed the person we are with things that we love and remember that person you were before kids and careers. Who are you? Who are you when the kids are grown and retirement sets in? Who are you when no one is looking? Who are you when you are alone for a day with no responsibilities?
To be a better parent, you must be your authentic self. Your children need to see the unique YOU. It is by feeding your unique YOU that will bring happiness into your life and allow you to be the best version of yourself and, therefore, a better parent. Isn’t that what you want for your kids? Don’t you want them to have a parent that is happy and fulfilled and not just worn down by their routine? Don’t you want your kids to be proud of their unique selves also? Role modeling teaches them to be proud of who they are and not embarrassed by it. Then, once we know that person we see in the mirror, and we are proud of the adult we have become, we can find more authentic use of our time. Because the things that we do, should be a reflection of who we are.
So who are you?
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