Goal #4: Become a better mom

I love, love, love this post by Toni Hammer in the Huffington Post. In it, she honestly admits that children were not her plan or desire, but professes her love and gratitude to them. It is sweet, heartfelt and definitely worth a read!

I can relate to everything she said, because I never wanted kids either. In fact, I'm pretty sure I adopted that stance shortly after my own birth, and clung to it up until the morning Little Pants made his sudden arrival. And now that Little Pants is here, I can unequivocally say that all the reasons I never wanted to be a mother are valid.

It's exhausting. It's thankless. It's frustrating. It's scary.

And I've only been at it for a few months!

But other times I look at him and I am so insanely overwhelmed with love, and pride, and amazement that something as complex and wonderful as him came out of my body. Motherhood will make a person a little bit bi-polar.

Little Pants did not, unfortunately, come with an instruction manual. So somehow, I'm supposed to take this tiny, cute little person and grow him into a smart, hard-working, world-improving man. If you've ever seen the results of my vegetable gardens, you'd know that this is not a task I'm well-suited for.

But, regardless of my suitability, it's my job. So goal #4 is to become a better mom!

Now I fully expect that this is going to be a challenge, because my limited experience with motherhood thus far has taught me that there is a great deal of self-control involved. No matter how adorable the child, they are tiny masters of button and boundary pushing.

However, I'm very fortunate that there are millions of moms who have gone before me. In this section of the blog, I am going to compile their infinite wisdom -- primarily tips on successfully raising a little human! So, if you (like me) suddenly find yourself with a small person in your care, and have absolutely no idea what to do with them, I hope you'll find these posts helpful!