Laura of A(n) (un)common Family and Editor for SheKnows Parenting and allParenting,so essentially, my boss is my Letters For You guest today with a truly beautiful love letter to the brightest lights in her life, her children.
Grab the Kleenex, this one might get ‘cha.
It is a true honor to have her writing for me for a change. 🙂
Dear Mattix and Molley,
I often say that motherhood is the job I never knew I wanted so much until I had it.
And that’s the truth.
I knew I wanted to be a mom. I knew that without kids, I’d always feel like I was missing something.
But I wasn’t in a big hurry. I wanted to finish school. And then law school. I wanted to buy our house and enjoy even more time with your dad.
I was young when your dad and I got married, but I knew what I wanted in life.
I just didn’t know how much I wanted it.
And then, after your dad and I committed to parenthood and laid our souls bare to complete strangers whose permission we needed to become parents, and after a lot of time and waiting and stress that words will never capture, I was a mom.
I finally understood unconditional love. I never had – and I never will – feel that kind of love for anyone other than my children.
We adopted you both, but make no mistake. We didn’t “save” you or “rescue” you or “give a better life” to you or do any of those things you might hear one day – the things some people might say, certainly well-meaning, because you were born in other countries and became our kids in a less traditional way.
You both completed us. At just 4- and 5-years old, you’ve already given your dad and me more than I could have hoped for in an entire lifetime. And I know that the best is yet to come.
Sometimes I lie in bed at night and wonder what I can do to make the world even again. I was given two gifts. “Gifts” is a silly, trivial word. But I don’t know how better to describe the privilege I have of raising you both.
I owe the universe something so big that I’ll never find a way to pay it back.
I know that you are not mine alone. You were brought into the world by other moms – moms that are just as real and significant as me. Sometimes I feel sad that they don’t get to see what I do every single day – the magic you bring to the world, the light in your eyes, your smiles, your intelligence, your amazing senses of humor.
Other times, I feel sad that you won’t know people in this world who look just like you. I look exactly like Grammy and Great Grammy and even your Great, Great Grammy when she was still with us. There’s comfort in that.
I sometimes wonder if I would feel this way no matter how I became a mom – would I feel my kids are gifts to the world, even if I’d chosen to birth them? I probably would. But I don’t know because I didn’t travel that road.
As far as I can tell, you both radiate something special from the inside out. It shines – through your eyes that sparkle, through your radiant smiles and through your alternating sweet and sassy words that both make me cry and make me laugh. (Okay, and let’s be honest. Those words sometimes make me count down the minutes until bedtime.)
I always feel justified in my opinions of you both because you’re not little “me’s.” You don’t share my genes and you’re both so different – from each other and from me. You’re both unique and you were born the way you were born, independent of your dad and me.
I sometimes see similarities in us, but those are just coincidental. Mattix, your anxiety over new situations breaks my heart because I know how hard it is to experience that, but it also means that you’ll carefully think through your actions and make the best of everything.
Molley, your extreme stubbornness will get in your way sometimes – trust me – but it will serve you well when you need to reach deep for an inner strength that life demands.
You don’t have to live up to anything – you just have to be the best people you’re capable of being and maximize your potential. I want you to live happy, successful lives. Different people define happiness and success differently. I’ll trust your definitions. (Within reason, of course. Let’s not be silly. I’m a mom, after all.)
We’ll have great days and we’ll have hard days. We’ve already had plenty of both.
There will be days when you’ll want to scream at me and there will be days when you’ll want my hugs and love.
There will be days when I don’t want you to go to bed because I want just a little more time with you and there will be days when bedtime – and a glass of wine – cannot come soon enough. We’ve already had both.
But one thing is certain: There will never be a day when I’m not grateful for the privilege of raising you.
Love, Mom
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I view motherhood as a gift too. You can tell yours fill you with great joy.
It’s such a gift, isn’t it?
Beautiful post, Laura. And it’s always great to see a pic of Matty and Molley.
Thank you, Kori!
Thank you so much for having me, Tonya! I really enjoyed writing this and never would have otherwise.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – I love your children! And I only know them through the beautiful way you speak about them. This is another perfect example!
Thank you, Alicia! I may or may not be biased, but I think they’re pretty cool. 🙂 xo
Oh, Laura…this is so very sweet. You love those two little ones so fiercely and I adore your mommy side!
Thank you, friend! xoxo
Ohmyheart, girls! Oh. My. Heart.
This is stunning. Pure stunning.
You captured the fierce love that is Motherhood perfectly.
{And I can’t stop tearing up!}
Thank you so much, Galit. Truly – I appreciate your support!
A truly beautiful, moving letter, Laura. They’re ours, not really, the children. Yet, always part of us.
Yours are beautiful!
“They’re ours, not really, the children” <– I couldn't agree more! Thank you, Alison.
Laura, I always love your posts, girl. So well-written and funny and poignant. xoxoxo
Thank you, Mary! That means a lot!
On this sweet note, I am going to bed. And blaming the tears on my cold and not the (incredibly lovely, sniff, sniff) sentiments expressed 🙂 Seriously, yes. They are such a gift, and it’s truly humbling to watch them grow into their gifts.
It is, without a doubt, humbling to watch our kids “grow into their gifts.” You said that so well. Thank you, Angela.
What I love most about this letter is its authenticity. You are so very truly a loving, thoughtful mom who captures the essence of parenting love completely. Yay, universe!!!!!
Thank you, Maureen. I mean that – thank you.
I did “travel that road” and YOU are a gift to the world. What I love most is that your words are not just eloquent words, they are backed by a most powerful love transcending human capabilities. Unconditional love is spiritual love. That in and of itself is an amazing gift and will allow your children to be a gift to the world. Quite a lovely story and journey ~ your journey, that I am privileged to share.
^^^ I have the world’s best mom, don’t I? Thank you, Mom! xoxo
LOVE that your Mom weighed in here – so very fitting and perfect for the family that you are all bound together in love, no matter from where, no matter how … but why – because of so much love – there simply could not be another way.
Beautiful words.
Like you.
Thank you for your kind, supportive words. “you are all bound together in love, no matter from where, no matter how” – that. Exactly that.
This is beautiful and I indeed needed to grab a Kleenex for this letter.
I cannot begin to explain how much I look forward to becoming a mother one day in the future. I look forward to feeling the kind of unconditional love that I read in letters like yours and of course here on my sister, Tonya’s blog everyday. I have tasted that kind of love with her son, Lucas, my nephew, whom I love more then life itself. It’s frightening to think that I could love anyone possibly more then I do him. Where does all this love come from?! Haha
Adoption is something that I’ve thought about more and more lately after seeing so many friends and my sister face infertility issues. I also think it would be amazing to be able to help a child in need in the most intimate way possible-becoming their mother.
It’s lovely to “meet” you here Laura. Thank you for giving my sister a place to show her thoughts on your SheKnows website.
I don’t know you, Leah, but I’d love to know you. You are clearly a gift to Tonya – an amazing sister – and even better, a gift to Lucas. I’ve read the story of how you lost your parents and I truly believe you and Tonya are blessings to each other. You’ll be an amazing mom one day and no matter how impossible it seems, you’ll find that kind of love you talk about for every child you have. After we adopted Mattix, I wondered how I could possibly love another human being that much. And then we adopted Molley and I found out that it’s possible. I don’t know how, but it sure does happen. <3
This is so very sweet. They really are gifts, no matter how they come into our lives.
Amen, Leah! All children are gifts. They may drive us to pull our hair out and watch the clock on some nights, but in the end, they are always gifts.
Sorry – Kimberly! I typed the wrong name!