From Diapers to Dreams: Why Being a Mom Is Everything

Mom: Jessica Baker

Child: Adeline (left), Asherton (Right)

Being a Mom is unlike anything else. If I try to give an analogy, it’s like managing an entire store (the Home) with multiple different departments and a concierge service 24 hours a day, with clients (the children) that have wildly changing demands and needs at any particular time of the day. There are no days off, no breaks, and no vacation away.

As a newborn, they show you what true sleep deprivation is all about. As a toddler, they have the quirkiest boundaries and demands, as they try to make sense of the world around them. As children, they understand love through play and seem to have an unlimited amount of energy. As they grow, they are the best teachers because they test you first and you learn the lesson later.

Being a parent made me realize that children do not need to change their behavior because their behavior is being newly molded. It is my behavior that I need to change to show the example of how best to handle emotions. As a Mom, this has been the most challenging growth opportunity I have ever been tasked with. I’m beyond grateful though, because without becoming a Mom, I know I would have never seen the world through a fresh lens and be motivated to try hard to become a better person than I was the day prior.

When my daughter Adeline made me a Mom, I was in disbelief at such a miracle. Her vulnerability as she looked into my eyes, knowing that her life depended on me. I was scared because I didn’t want to let her down, but I had no idea what being a mother was about. She was in essence my little trial-and-error experiment as I shared with her all the firsts. My view of everything changed. She loved everything about me and just wanted to be by my side. I no longer hated parts of my body because they weren’t perfect, she was who made me more confident. She appreciated the fresh air and drew me outside to enjoy the rain on a hot summer day. She showed me that spontaneity is not about being unprepared, it’s about savoring a moment as it happens and relishing in it.

My son Asherton did not get the firsts that Adeline got. He did not have the same kind of welcoming committee or the best of everything but he does have the lasts. I don’t know if I’ll ever have another child so with him, it was the last time I would nurse in the rocking chair as I eased him back to sleep at night. It was the last time we would get excited that he got a new tooth coming in. When we celebrated his walking, it was also the last time I would hold his tiny hands as he steadied himself with my assurance as he took a step forward in life. With every celebratory milestone of independence he gains, I share in the joy for him yet for me it is hard to let go knowing ill never again have that moment.

Though I went from being called “Mama”, to “Mommy”, then “Mom”. I tell the kids it is my favorite name because they are the only two people in the entire world that can call me it. It’s a name I longed to hear from their mouths for years until they were born and learned to talk. I am not at all the parent I thought I would be before I had children. The idea was beautiful, but I could easily categorize parenting like I did taking care of my pet. I was so clueless. I had no idea my heart could expand into realms I didn’t even know were possible. It’s like each of my children has a piece of my soul and is walking around in the world with it. I long for them when they are gone and feel right with everything when they are near.

Though there is a lot of debate about nature versus nurture, because there seems to be a heavy dose of both that contribute to the delicate crafting of a unique individual that these delightful children grow into. I believe the best thing about being a mom is that you have the chance to have the most rewarding relationship of your life. When they grow up, become adults and reflect on their childhood that shaped them into their predispositions, they give you a grade as a parent. As an adult, your children will reflect on their memories and if you do well, you will have a best friend for life, if you do poorly, well then you lost your chance at true love.

I have won all kinds of accolades that range from being summa cum lade in school, writing for Forbes, being an entrepreneur, and such, and have had the opportunity to travel the world and experience more than I could have imagined. But I stand by the fact that the greatest thing I have ever done or will ever do, is be a mother to my children. My most cherished moments and memories are those with them in it, everything else pales in comparison.

The most valuable investment mankind can ever make is into each other.