17.
“There were several times growing up when I had become somewhat aware of my mom being a whole other individual before, but it didn’t truly sink in until all of us kids were fully grown with families and my grandma passed (my mom was her sole caregiver for years beginning immediately after my youngest sibling turned 18). The way my mom blossomed into who she truly was and found what she truly enjoyed doing without the heavy responsibility of having to give all her time and energy to care for everyone else was very bittersweet. It made me so happy to see her find herself, but so sad that she had to wait until her 50s to do so.”
“Realizing that her finally finding herself meant that, at some point, she had lost herself was a huge wakeup call, because I realized I’d done the same thing. It’s so hard for us as women to prioritize ourselves, especially since we are natural nurturers. But knowing that my daughter also sees me sacrificing my own identity (and would probably end up unknowingly doing the same thing as an adult) has lit a fire under me to truly focus on self-care and the boundaries around that — not only for my own benefit, but to also set an example for her.”
—Amy, 39, Oregon
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/dannicaramirez/people-share-realizations-about-mothers
