10 Things I Learned from Being a Mom

1. Makeup Doesn’t Matter. Since my son was born about 19 months ago, I’ve had my fair share of too-busy-to-find-mascara days and he doesn’t seem to care at all. I’m au naturel at least 2 days a week and it’s freeing in so many ways. Fabulous eye shadow or bare skin, Ben is just as excited to see me (and I’m always excited to see him).

2. Microfiber is Amazing. Seriously, I wipe my sofa down with a damp cloth every night and it looks like brand new even after a day of spills and mushy cheerios. You can’t pull that off with leather!

3. Friend Streamlining. When I was 23 I was everyone’s friend.  I had 5k facebook friends and would interact with them all regularly, see people out at parties, and go out of my way to maintain fruitless friendships.  Having a kid taught me that there’s only so much time and energy in any given day, and it should be spent only on the people you care about, respect, and genuinely want to be surrounded by.

4. Snuggles Put Everything in Perspective. It’s true. Lose a bunch of money in the market today? Hug your kid. Find out your best friend from college has an illness that can’t be cured? Kiss your baby and sing him a lullaby.  There’s no problem that’s too big to handle when you’re holding the most important part of your life.

5. The Right Reason to Work. Before I had my son, I would wake up each day and work with the sense that it was all a game and somehow it was monopoly money. The more you have, the closer to “winning” you are… or so I thought. Now I work twice as hard but for a much better reason: it’s all for my son. It’s about supporting all the dreams I have for him like endless grad school if he chooses, but more about values like work ethic and dedication.

6. All Clothing Should be Machine Washable. No exceptions. Dresses, pants, jeans, skirts- whatever.

7. What I Hated in Myself is What I Love Most in My Son. I remember trying every product ever produced to tame my curls so I could have a sleek, straight look.  I hated my giant, bouncy curls that had a mind of their own, but now playing with my son’s curls brings me endless smiles.  And I don’t bother to tame mine anymore.

8. Fashion Should be Functional. I’ll be the first one to tell you that heels are great, and little pencil skirts look ultra sexy/femme, but they have to be functional. That means rubber soles added to the bottom of heels, even though you’ll be hiding the red bottoms you paid so dearly for.  Sorry ladies, red won’t bring you comfort or the ability to chase a wild kid down Madison Ave.

9. Love is Absolute. Real love isn’t something you think about. There’s no “well, I think he’s the right one,” or “he’s a lot of fun, I might love him.” When you love someone, the feeling takes over your whole body, mind, and soul and you abandon the boundaries you think you have.

10. Spooning Comes in All Shapes and Sizes. Big spoon, little spoon, whatever. It’s all a delight.