Becoming a mother is transforming me into the woman my
husband wants me to be…
When my husband and I were dating he would come over to my
apartment after working long hours outdoors and after greeting me head directly
to my fridge to find something to eat. More often than not he would be blinded
by the interior light as he opened the door because the beams would bounce off
the white walls and shiny metal racks revealing to him once again that I was
not a cook. We still talk about how I survived so many years on apples, yogurt
and frozen meals.
After we got married nothing really changed my shortcomings
in the kitchen. My husband is a wonderful cook. He has always been taken care
of by a list of great chefs; grandparents, both of his parents, aunts and
uncles and multiple extensions of friends.
When I became a mom though, my perspective on food and food
preparation changed. As we soon realize after our children are born one of the
most important day to day decisions we make is providing for their nutritional
needs. In the beginning, for those first few months nutrition and feedings provide
a crash course into parenting, this is now your responsibility, and this child
is completely dependent on you for survival.
So naturally as our son grew and began to eat soft foods and
eventually solid foods the meals I once believed were acceptable were not good
enough for him. Don’t get me wrong I still will heat up a frozen meal from time
to time, but overall I’ve rolled up my sleeves and embraced the enjoyment that
can come with cooking. I want to see my son get excited about meals and
spending time together at the table. I love to hear him say umm mama when he
eats his food.
So I don’t know if my husband prayed for my culinary skills
to improve or not but I am transforming little by little into the woman he
always wanted because of our son.
Has becoming a parent strengthened a characteristic or skill
that you didn’t necessarily shine in before?
