The Unexpected Things That Make Motherhood Great

"I will never make my kids clean their rooms!” I shouted as I slammed my bedroom door.

Bold statements about my mothering-prowess littered my childhood. I knew from an early age I would grow-up to be a COOL mom. My kids would never have to eat vegetables or follow silly rules.

As it turns out, motherhood is a little different than I expected it to be, and I do make my kids clean their rooms, and eat their vegetables. Although, I’m relatively unsuccessful at both.

Motherhood is something you have to experience to truly understand.

I had no idea the absurdities my own mother faced trying to keep me in line, until I became a mother myself. Have you seen the episode of Friends where Rachel makes the English Trifle? (If you haven’t, you can watch it here.) For me, that’s motherhood. There’s a lot of good stuff in there, with a little bit of weird stuff you weren’t expecting.

When I used to think about the type of mom I would be, I never saw myself ranting like a lunatic while my offspring ran pant-less through the living room, but here I am.

Somehow, even in the midst of this insanity, I know these are the moments I will miss. They are my favorite parts of being a mom. They are the unexpected parts, I never envisioned as a child.

Here are a few unexpected things that make motherhood GREAT…

1) My daughter and I love to dance around the kitchen while we sing Taylor Swift songs into slotted spoons. We twirl and laugh as we over-dramatically belt out the lyrics. There’s a good chance we will appear on Broadway or start our own acapella group. (We also love the Pitch Perfect soundtracks.)

2) Collectively, I have been given enough flowering yard weeds to cover several football fields. Sometimes it’s just the head of a dead dandelion, but these are the prettiest flowers I’ve ever received- proudly presented and picked with love.

3) I never saw this coming, but I use baby wipes for everything. I have used them to remove my make-up and also to detail the inside of my car. Motherhood is about multipurpose functionality, and I am the Queen.

4) My son sleeps next to me every night. When he gets cold, he tucks his chubby toddler feet in the back of my underwear. It’s a cold and awful surprise at 2 a.m., but his resourcefulness makes me proud.

5) I know all the things Brown Bear Sees.

6) My daughter is inquisitive, like her mother. When her little brother was born she was more than eager to be a helpful big sister. During a diaper change I glanced over to see a horrified expression on her face. I asked, “What’s wrong, honey?” Without missing a beat, she responded, “I’m fine, Mommy, but there is something really wrong with his buh-gina.” She makes me laugh, all the time.

7) On a warm summer day my son collected an entire cup full of rocks (read: dry dog turds), and presented them to me as a gift. I gladly accepted them because he was so proud.

8) One night a week we have family movie night in “mommy’s bed”. I make popcorn and the kids drink way too much chocolate milk. Popcorn goes everywhere. It’s an effing mess, and I always say I will never do it again. But, I always do.

9) My kids love each other more than I could have ever imagined. They are peas and carrots. I have witnessed one of them intentionally smack the other one with a toy, and then pull them close to kiss their boo-boo. It’s disturbing, and also adorable.

10) My daughter will randomly stop what she is doing and tell me she loves me. Last week she ran off the t-ball field in the middle an inning to do this. Hopefully these memories soften the blow when she becomes a teenager and is annoyed by my existence.

This is motherhood. It’s weird and imperfect, but it’s absolutely amazing.

I’m not the mom I set out to be when I was eight, but I think I’m doing all right. Every year my kids teach me more about myself than I ever learned on my own, and I couldn’t be prouder to be their mom.

Motherhood is everything, I never knew I wanted.


Jorrie Varney is a registered nurse and mother of two adorable misfits, who chronicles her parenting triumphs and misadventures on her blog Close to Classy. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter