Lessons from a Mom of 3

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mom lessons
Photography by Haverlee Photography

We’ve been a family of five now for almost 9 months now. I’m by no means an expert, but after three kids, I can confidently say we’ve learned a few things along the way! Here are some lessons from my time as a mom. 

7 Lessons from a fellow mom

Lower your expectations.

This is something I’ve had to learn the hard way, unfortunately. Whether it’s holiday expectations, outing expectations, or just expectations we may have about our children- what they may like/dislike, etc… I’ve learned as soon as we have set expectations in our minds, those will get thrown out the window. You just gotta roll with it! I’ve learned to lower my expectations and then lower them some more. 

Be confident.

This is one area I’ve noticed has drastically increased as we’ve added to our family. It has been a process, but now I do what I feel is right for my family, feel confident about it, AND don’t care what others think. Like most things, it’s not 100%, all the time. But I’m getting there and I hope you can too! 

Your children were born to go against you.

With three kids, there’s a pretty good chance one will be sick at any given time, one will be throwing a fit, one won’t sleep through the night, and none of them will agree on anything. My two oldest are the complete opposite- one wants pepperoni pizza, the other one cheese. One likes peaches. One likes pears. And yes, I know I did this to myself but there have been so many moments where my husband and I look at each and say, “They’re totally teaming up against us.” Having all three be content at the same time is a rarity. 

You will wonder why you ever complained about lack of sleep or lack of time.

I look back before we added three kiddos and I think, “Dang, Shay what did you do with all your time back then?! You must have been really slacking off!” Now that we’ve added a baby to the mix I feel like every moment of the day has something- whether it’s an item on the to-do list or trying to squeeze in that friend time, husband time, or time for myself, I find myself asking myself what I did with all that free time before?! 

Take care of yourself!

Coffee is your friend. Reality TV is your friend. That good book you’ve been waiting to read is your friend. Basically, anything you enjoy- you totally have to make time for it. No one else is going to do it for you. If it’s not on your priority list, it’s not gonna happen. You have to make “me time” happen. Even when it feels selfish, (and that’s probably when you know you really need to do it) even when there are dishes are in the sink and laundry to be folded. The time to make time for YOU is now! After adding another kid I’ve had to intentionally set time aside to do things I enjoy and realize it’s ok! 

Let go of control.

I have two older kiddos, ages 9 and 6, who are getting to the ages of being more self-sufficient. I’ve had to let go of a lot of control when we added a third simply because I couldn’t manage everyone, all the time. I’ve had to give up control in some areas and let them go for it and let their confidence shine through. Picking out their own clothes, brushing and doing their own hair, getting ready in the morning, even making simple breakfast items, has been a refreshing change that I’m not sure we would have made so soon if we didn’t add a third. 

Love goes around and around and around…

And lastly, and very cheesy- the LOVE that happened when we added a third. Oh man. This stuff is real, guys. The love I have for their sibling love, the love I have watching them grow up together, the love I have when my oldest snuggles my youngest, and the love I have for how different they are and how they are each growing into these little, wonderful humans. It’s the best. 

Photography by Haverlee Photography

So, those are all lessons (there’s probably more) I’ve learned since we added to our wonderful, dysfunctional, loving crew.

What are some lessons you’ve learned as a mom? I’d love to hear below! 

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