Becoming a parent is the single most important decision you will ever make in your life. Whether you go on to make millions, save people’s lives or change the course of history, everything takes second place to welcoming another human being into the world. I mean if we look back at our lives, we spend the first twenty five to thirty years preparing ourselves for the inevitable, parenthood. We study, we acquire degrees, jobs, wealth, all so that we are responsible and reliable human beings who are then able to have little ones of our own. Then the next twenty to thirty years is always spent wondering “How are the kids?”. Be they two or twenty two, a parent’s job is never done.
 

From the moment you hold your little one in your arms, you are exposed to a whole gamut of wonderful feelings. Love, pride, happiness, excitement to name a few, all envelopes you and your baby. Your baby can be intoxicating to you, his or her little hands and feet, the baby smell, milk mingling with the softness of a warm baby can have you transfixed for hours. I remember as a first time parent, happily holding my little bundle of joy for hours on end, refusing all helpful offers to take over. This was my baby and I wanted to be there for her every minute. I also remember running little action plans through my head, like if someone were to take my baby what would I do, if there was a natural disaster how could I save my child. A bit extreme and bordering on manic hood, but if you’re a parent you can relate to the feelings of love and protectiveness that go through us. This is the beginning, the beginning of a new you.

As we settle into our role of new parents, we find that every step of the way - be they gurgling babies to mischievous toddlers, our children are teaching us along the way. One important lesson to understand at the beginning is that we cannot always have it our way. As preposterous as it sounds it is the truth, initially we are at our children’s beck and call and then as they grow into toddlers and children, we change our lives to accommodate their wants and needs. Some of give up careers, others change lifestyles - all to accommodate that little someone in our lives. Despite this change in mind body and soul our lives are thoroughly enriched by our children. All of a sudden there is a new meaning to why we strive to better ourselves from the jobs we work at or to accelerate our personal growth. We are exposed to a multitude of new qualities from patience, humility, pride, and happiness to name a few. But the main attribute that carries us through this incredible journey is, love and that is a love that is unfaltering and unconditional and completely true and pure in nature, the love between a parent and child.

Whilst in the midst of busy parenting days take a moment to reminisce about the beauty of having your children. For yes parenting is not for the faint hearted, some days are long and gruelling and you feel like you’ve fought a thousand battles. Having brought children into the world, I feel it is my duty to mould and change then like a piece of pottery into a responsible person of society. But I’ve come to the realisation that along with my good intentions , my children have also changed me, I definitely am not the same person I was before I had children, in fact they have introduced me to a better version of myself, a stronger more powerful me, for that I am ever grateful.

As a parent, every day spent with children is a surprise.  


Text by Mayuri Jayasinghe