10 Surprising Ways In Which Motherhood Will Change You

Most of us safely assume that once we have a baby, our lives will change. We know that we will be busy changing diapers, feeding the baby, and having sleepless nights. We can also imagine how our lives will be as they grow up and become older. It’s easy to picture their first day of school, going on vacations, their school graduation, and even the day that they get married.

We also picture what kind of mothers we are going to be, what rules we will enforce, and what parenting style we will adopt.

Even with this crystal-clear picture of what our motherhood journey will look like, there will be things that will inevitably take you by surprise. Because as you keep walking on this journey, your point of view on some topics may change and you will continuously evolve as a mother.

10 Ways Motherhood changes you

1. You may become more sensitive or more thick-skinned

Or both! Having a child inevitably changes you. You become more nurturing and aware of your child and their well-being. While at the same time, coming into your own view of what motherhood looks like, even if others have a different approach to it.

You may become sensitive to other’s criticism and at the same time, reassured that you’re doing the right thing by your child. Therefore, letting some things just slide off you.

2. Everything seems more dangerous

You become very aware of how dangerous everything is. Suddenly, you see how everything has sharp edges, how outlets are not covered, how the stairs are a highway express trip to the hospital! Everything…just…seems…dangerous!

But do not fret dear, it’ll be ok ; ). Even though there are things that could hurt your child, you’ll take the appropriate precautionary measures to ensure your child is safe. You’ll also come to terms with the fact that you can’t protect them from everything, but you will make sure that their surroundings are a safe and happy place.

3. Will make you lose and regain faith in humanity

When you look around and see how people treat each other, especially when they mistreat children, you can’t help but lose faith in humanity. Seeing how bad people can turn out to be. Many people, even stop watching the news because it seems that everything that happens is always bad. And your mind can’t help but think that this is the world that our children have to grow up in.

But then you come across stories of people going out of their way to help strangers or lost children. Or perhaps you witness acts of kindness all around you (or toward you) and that makes you regain hope that there are still good people in this world trying to make our society a better place. And you regain hope that your children will also get to see how good people can be and how great it can be to be a part of society.

4. Makes you kinder

You may want to become the change that you want to see in the world and model that example for your child to follow. It might begin with something small, like holding the door for an older person to get through, or helping a stranger in the supermarket reach an item that was too high up for them.

I remember when I was a teenager my mom did something that until this day, I have never been able to forget. We were driving on our way home, when she saw a young girl struggling to break free from a guy that was holding her. My mom stopped the car and asked the girl if she needed help. It turned out that they were just rough-housing and everything was ok.

However, that was something that impacted me a lot. To see my mom go out of her way to help a stranger, just because it was the right thing to do, taught me to do the same.

Showing kindness can make the difference in someone’s day, and sometimes, we might be making a difference in our own children by showing kindness to the people around us.

5. Makes you more understanding toward other mothers

You will most likely give a mom struggling with her toddler, an understanding, kind look rather than a criticism. Because we know, better than anyone, that is not always easy. We know that not everything is black and white, and we have learned from our own experience, that we were all perfect mothers before we had children.

I think many of us can agree that prior to having children, we all said a list of things that our children “would never do”. Just to have our own children check off sooo many things from that same list.

6. Makes us less judgmental

You learn that you don’t always have all the facts to make a judgment on another mom.

That mom that is allowing her child to be on their tablet at a restaurant, may get criticized by other people. But we don’t know that she is probably very strict with screen times and has spent the whole week struggling with a baby with colic and potty training her oldest child. This moment may be the first chance that she has been able to enjoy a nice meal in peace, because the baby is sleeping and her oldest is entertained with their tablet.

Or perhaps, you see a mom lose her cool and yell at her child to stop, in the middle of the store. People may assume she is a horrible mom that is unkind to her child. But people don’t know that this mom is struggling with post-partum depression and has a hyperactive child who hasn’t sat down the whole day. And she finally lost her cool for a second and yelled at her child to stop.

Because you don’t know the full story, you are not as quick to judge other moms. Instead, you offer a kind word, or a smile.

Note: This is not referring to abusive behavior that may put a child in danger.

7. Moves us to be supportive of other mothers

Instead of criticizing and tearing down other mothers, you are moved to uplift them and show support to them. Regardless of what their parenting ideology may be. As long as they and their children are happy and safe, why would it be important if she decided to go back to work or stay home with her children?

At the end of the day, we are all mothers doing our best for our children. And that’s the only thing that matters.

8. Makes you fearless and/or fearful

And both at the same time. You worry, all the time, lol. You see where danger may be lurking, and it makes you fearful for their well-being.

But you also become the bravest, strongest person for your children. To a point, that you may surprise yourself, not knowing that you even had it in you. We truly become mama bears, willing to jump into the fray without a second thought for our kids.

9. Makes you become selfless

We always hear how mothers make sacrifices for their children, but we understand what this really means when we become mothers. A mom would go hungry so her kids can have their bellies full, not get themselves a new pair of shoes because her kids need one, and they will not get themselves that cute pair of earrings so that her kids can have something that they have been wanting for a long time.

We tend to put ourselves last, so that our kids can have what they need.

10. We learn the meaning of true love

There is virtually nothing in this world that would ever make us not love them. We carried them, birthed them, and raised them. We have unconditional love for our children and will be there for them no matter what. The bond that we share with our children cannot be compared to any other relationship we could ever have.

Many mothers would tell you that if their child needed a heart, they would take their own out so their child can live. That’s a mother’s love. Many of us that are mothers, share this very same sentiment.

Motherhood looks different per individual. However, many moms are surprised to see their view on many things change throughout their own motherhood journeys. I personally love mine. I think that my children have made me a better person and they always teach me something new every day.

Some of the points mentioned above took me by surprise, as well as for many of you reading this post. Many moms find themselves becoming a different person or have noticed a change in themselves that is directly connected to the fact that they are mothers now.

Change can sometimes take us by surprise, but it is very necessary to keep moving forward. Who knows, change might be exactly what we need to continue walking in the right direction.

Psss… You might be interested in reading 10 Things That Make A Good Mom and To The First-Time Mom.