There are certainly times since I became a mother that I’ve doled out some mom advice to other moms, but I’ve seldom dealt out mom advice to younger women that weren’t yet parents…and DEFINITELY not on a large social media platform. However, that’s exactly what mom Nikki Pennington did on the Love What Matters Facebook page today, and I gotta admit…I kinda love it. This is totally the type of mom advice that future moms need to hear in my opinion!
In her post, Pennington juxtaposed two photos of herself: one pre-kids, and one post-kids. Then she went on to describe the way her life has changed since she became a mom, saying:
“Don’t be confused, that’s the same person you are seeing. On the left, that’s the me before I became a mom. Oh, how I remember her… She had endless time to get ready, put on makeup, fix her hair—and even coordinate outfits with jewelry. She even had time to go the beach and get a tan.
Then, there’s the mom version of me…
• The one who walks in the department store, heads straight for the yoga pants and cosmetics counter and says, ‘I need all your wrinkle cream and concealer that can hide the fact that I haven’t slept in seven years, now.’
• The one who walks out of the house with mismatched everything (including random items in her hair), isn’t sure she owns any jewelry other than her wedding ring (because toddlers have used her bracelets as a slingshot), and feels like Target is her girls’ night out.
But, I honestly don’t miss her, the old me, the one before I became a mom… She had no clue how to Netflix and chill, she was always on the go, always much too busy. She blew money on makeup and clothes and fancy dinners and nights out with friends. She truly didn’t understand the fun that lies in the aisles of Target, on a Friday night at 9 p.m.
LOL! I can SO relate to that!! (Except I haven’t slept in 14 years, not 7. PLEASE PASS THE EYE CREAM!) And you know, I think I’m typically able to walk out of the house without random crap in my hair. But I digress. Pennington then goes on to drop an AMAZING truth bombs on “young girls” who don’t yet have kids:
So young girls, soak up all that free time and take lots of pictures, because one day you will look back and realize how truly boring you were, before kids. You’ll realize you never knew the true meaning of friendship, until you see someone love your kids as much as they love their own, or the ones who turn a blind eye to those laundry piles. One day, you will understand why that mom you always saw, was eating alone at a restaurant while you were with your friends (you once thought was so lame); you will get it that sometimes, eating alone is the best thing of all.
Enjoy the younger years—but know that the best ones, are yet to come!”
I’m with Nikki! I love her mom advice for the currently child-free: the best IS yet to come. I wouldn’t trade my sleepless nights or my eye cream for all the carefree days in the world — because my three kids are the hardest, but the best things I’ve ever done, and being their mom is the greatest joy of my life.
Get more from Nikki on her Facebook page, Grief to Hope with Nikki Pennington.
