motherhood #11

by Jenn:

What are you passionate about?  I feel like during this past year I was asked this question a lot, and I never knew what to say.  I was surrounded by people with intense passion for surfing, dance, sports, photography, music etc.  I saw them making sacrifices in their life to spend more time progressing toward something they felt so strongly about.  Me?  I couldn’t be good at a sport if my life depended on it.  Sure I have hobbies but nothing that I am exceptionally good at.  I started trying to figure out what I was passionate about. 

Ever since I was little, I have wanted to be a mom.   Everything from playing house and babysitting when I was younger, to my choices about jobs and education have centered around children.  After graduating from college I was a nanny.  I thought this would be the perfect job for me.  After all, I had been drawn to kids my whole life.  I soon learned that taking care of kids was no cakewalk…and I was only doing it 10 hours a day!  It wasn’t easy, but I learned a lot.   I learned that taking care of kids is physically exhausting.  I learned that I am not going to be a perfect mother.  I wasn’t as patient as I thought I would be.  I got a glimpse into the life of a mother.  I got a small taste of the sacrifices that mothers make.  I came to the realization that being a mom, what I’ve dreamed of my whole life, is going to be really, really hard.   But I am willing to take on the challenge.  I know that I don’t have a clue what I will be getting myself into nor do I expect to ever be fully prepared for such an awesome mission but I am going to prepare to be the best mom that I can be.  And that’s what I’m passionate about.      

{Jenn's nanny family}