Women are often portrayed as knowing exactly who they are, especially the "real women" they show in the media. I agree more with Michelle Obama,, She says in Becoming, “it isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim…it's a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self.” Yet we read magazines that'll say, "Karen is a mom, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and climbs mountains in her free time." I know we're not supposed to compare ourselves but damn that's hard to follow! How I identify as a mom/woman/human is constantly evolving.
I was born a sister and daughter then became a friend, auntie, mom and wife in my personal life. I have been a student and traveler, having lived on 4 continents. Professionally I have been an early childhood teacher for kids age PreK to 2nd grade with a Masters in early childhood education (ECE). I have taught in a variety of schools- Head Start, Montessori, Nature preschools, and in IB (international baccalaureate) schools. I am also a certified yoga instructor with a specialization in Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga. I started my own yoga business called Yoga Mama Columbia. Now I'm an author of the children's books On Brighter Days and I Love Nature School.
My family background is that I’m the youngest of five kids- three of us homemade and two adopted but not due to infertility (I was born after they were adopted- oops!). My mom is one of five and a twin. Her sister only had 1 son even though she loved being around children and taught for 30 years in public schools so I wonder if she had troubles too but it wasn’t discussed in our family. All of my friends growing up had at least 2-4 siblings. I knew no one who was an only child. In our current neighborhood friend group, my daughter is the only one with no siblings. I also am very close to my two amazing sisters and I wanted my daughter to have that same close relationship.
After my daughter was born I figured, we'd make her a sibling but just one more. I was an early childhood teacher since graduating college so I knew how difficult working with kids during the day was and I got a glimpse into the world of parenting. I couldn’t imagine teaching and then being with children around the clock at home as well. Props to all the teachers who do this amazing work everyday and raise their families! I wasn't sure when or if I wanted kids since I loved to travel and teach kids but could I take on all that responsibility of having my own?
I also wasn't dating anyone seriously enough in my 20's- 30's to make me feel inspired to procreate. So I put my reproduction on hold for 35 years and was waiting for a man to help me raise a family if we decided that was right for us. Who knew what would happen next? I had no idea the long and challenging journey that lay ahead of me into motherhood...
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