Having kids will humble you.

They will make you so happy, crazy, in love, worried, careful, inspired, and fierce. Being a parent is every emotion. It’s a rollercoaster.

And it’s easy to get lost in it all.

We get busy, focusing on school pick up and drop off, lunches, dinners, sports and sleepovers …and all of a sudden we wake up and our kids are older.

And now who are we?

Parents sacrifice for their children. That is what we do. We have since the dawn of time.

But, I think that the ‘sacrificing agenda’ has sped up and morphed in our generation due to how parenting is portrayed on media.

Parent worthy-ness seems to be calculated based on image now.

It says that the type of parent you are is reflected in what brand of clothes your kids wear, what sport they play, and how many crafts you do with them.

Let’s not lose ourselves in the image or the process. Our kids will grow up. They will eventually fly the coop. We must remember who we are, what we like, and what makes us happy.

Sometimes I honestly get lost in my thoughts about the weirdness of life and the passing of time. I can easily muster up tears when thinking about my kids leaving one day because they are literally my life right now, but I’m doing everything in my power to keep my own separate needs and wants intact.

I double-check that I am not just existing for my kids. That I am existing for everything I’ve existed for before my kids.

That I am allowed to exist as my own human with my own thoughts and hobbies alongside of being the best mother that I can be. That ‘mother’ is a role I play every day to the best of my ability, but it’s not my only role. And when I show up like this, it is benefiting my children because of the example of authenticity I am setting.

Bring yourself back to you every day–back to your home and to your soul.

My hope is that you know our wants are never at the detriment of any role that we play.

It’s only a hat we wear.

Episode 18 of the Hell Yes Entrepreneur is all about raising humans. Tune in.