I knew one day, when it was time for me to have children and be a mom, I’d wish to be blessed with a daughter. My dream came true. Nineteen years ago, I gave birth to my daughter Isabella Rose. Did I know the extent of the happiness I’d feel when I became a mother? I had no clue. All I knew was that I was a young, new mom who had fallen in love with her child the moment I discovered I was pregnant.
I did everything I could while I was expecting to ensure her health and wellbeing. An instinct that has never left me. To this day, my commitment to my children (I was later also blessed with a son named Luca) has been to love, care and protect them. However, my role in their life has expanded beyond that to where I wear many different hats. Not only are we mothers, but we are also doctors, teachers, confidants, chefs, housekeepers, coaches, councillors, cheerleaders, police officers, spiritual guides, and many more. If we take the responsibility we have as mothers conscientiously, we’re always on duty, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, never missing a beat.
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Growing up, I was blessed to have a mom who was an incredible role model for what a selfless mother is like. She was a stay-at-home mother of 4 daughters who tirelessly took care of us and our home while my father worked most of the time. My mom was the person I went to for support, advice and understanding. There was a good balance between guidance and the freedom to choose. This helped to instill my sense of independence, self-confidence, and self-reliance that I would carry with me through my life. I knew I would want to provide this same balance to my own children one day.
I became an educator because I knew I wanted to work with children. It is an honour to be in a position where I have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of students every day. Being a teacher is another responsibility I take seriously and one that gives me so much in return. Children bring so much joy into our lives. Their laughter, creativity, joyfulness, and joviality are contagious and inspiring. I am grateful for what they teach me and how they help me to grow as a person, parent and educator. They remind me not to lose the child-like wonder within myself and to show up as my authentic self.
Stepping into the role of being a mother was a miracle that happened to me. Statistically, you only have a 20% chance of becoming pregnant every month when you have everything going right for you, such as age, health, fertility, and timing. So, I’d say being pregnant and carrying your baby to term is a miracle. The day she arrived remains one of the happiest moments of my life, with the addition of my son’s birth and my wedding day. I will never forget the day I set eyes on her after impatiently waiting for her arrival (she was five days overdue). My husband announced we had a girl, which was a surprise because we thought we were having a boy based on the superstitious games you play while you’re pregnant. In that instant, I knew that I had my best friend for life.
From when she entered this world, Isabella was attached to me. I couldn’t put her down or leave her in the care of others without her crying for me. We were inseparable, and we have been ever since. And although this posed a challenge at times, it allowed us to bond in a way that I couldn’t conceive of until I became a mother myself. As a daughter and an educator, I thought I understood how much a parent loves their child. I did not fully grasp this love until I became a parent myself. The love you feel for your child is not comprehensible until you have your own child to love (in whatever way you are a parent). The unconditional love I have for my children and they have for me is a miracle I get to experience every day. It is a love without expectations, its potency is beyond measure, and in an infinite amount. This love is authentic. It’s a blessing I give thanks for each day I am able to feel their love and presence in my life.
As my daughter finds her way through the world, I am here to help her become the person she is meant to be and not who I want her to be. As parents, I believe we are here to support our children in becoming who they were meant to be in this lifetime and to be by them in their process of discovering who that is. Are they going to make mistakes? Absolutely! Did we? Yes! But it is through those mistakes we learned the lessons we needed to know to become the people we are today. If I can share the things I have learned along the way with her, I do, although she doesn’t always want to listen to it. And that’s okay. We all must find our way through the world. We are all here to have our own experience in which to grow, learn and expand.
When you know that each of us is here on Earth at this time to have our own soul experience and that we are here to help one another on our personal journey, then our role as co-creators becomes apparent. My daughter is one of my greatest teachers, just as I am hers. I learn from her just as she learns from me. I am a much better person because of what she has allowed me to see in myself. Because of her blessed presence in my life, I am a more generous, grateful, playful, kind, resilient, happier and loving person, to name but a few. I have come to know that she was given to me to share my life with just as I was given to her. Most times, we are two peas in a pod, but we have those moments of disagreement and debate. It is in those times that I reflect on what that moment is trying to teach me, and in many cases, its patience, the ability to see someone else’s point of view, updating myself to present-day trends, understanding, altruism, empathy, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, and what unconditional love really means.
Being a mother has allowed me the opportunity to make the most significant difference I could ever make in another person’s life; a blessing I realize every time I see love and happiness when I look into their eyes and feel when we’re in a warm and tender embrace. I have discovered that being a mother is my greatest happiness and accomplishment. I have had the privilege of participating in many wonderful experiences, but nothing matters more to me than being the best person I can be for my children and myself.
Teresa Greco is the author of the book Steps to True Happiness, and the coauthor of the best selling books The Decision to Heal: Pathways from Suffering to Love, and Business, Life and the Universe: Vol 4. She is an educator and educational technologies consultant with a master’s degree in Education from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is the editor and senior writer at two Canadian lifestyle magazines. Teresa is also a happiness coach and the radio host of a weekly show called “The Steps to Happiness Show With Teresa Greco.” As a coach and reiki master, she does public speaking, holds workshops, and mentors others about embracing, honouring, loving, and celebrating their true authentic self and achieving their own personal happiness and fulfillment. You can follow Teresa on her Instagram page @teresagreco_stepstohappiness and Facebook page, Steps to True Happiness with Teresa Greco. You can also connect with Teresa by visiting her website, www.teresagreco.ca, or by email at stepstotruehappiness@gmail.com about speaking engagements, workshops, and services.
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