Author Cherie Carter-Scott, Ph.D., perhaps best known for her NY Times #1 bestselling book If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, has written a book called The Gift of Motherhood: Ten Truths for Every Mother.

Just reading the first paragraph of the introduction of this book put me immediately at ease:

It’s difficult to put into words the experience of ushering a child into this world and being ultimately responsible for her care, well-being, and development.  It is an incredibly overwhelming, astounding, and miraculous experience that almost defies description.        

~Cherie Carter-Scott, The Gift of Motherhood: Ten Truths for Every Mother.

Cherie (can I call her Cherie? Or do I call her Dr. Scott?) provides ten universal truths for every mother to reference in times of need.  While I wish she had written this book fifteen years ago, I am so very grateful that I have discovered it now.

I am nowhere near being ‘out of the woods’ parenting a twelve and fifteen year old.  While my ‘woods’ are so very special, and I do consider them to be a gift every day, some of the uphill parts of the hike wear me down from time to time (particularly those hills that I feel have been tackled enough times already!) What helps with these hills is the knowledge that I am not alone.  I am surrounded by mothers.

I am so fortunate to have many close friends who are also mothers.  I am grateful for them everyday.  I have my mother and aunts as a terrific support system, and I know  how lucky I am.  Through teaching, running our camp and volunteer work, I have met many brave women who do not have such systems in place.  Some of us who do can still find ourselves feeling alone in this journey when life just gets too crazy to connect with each other.  That is why I love this book, and others like it, for nurturing a mother’s soul when she can steal a few moments for herself.  As it says in truth number eight, we must care for ourselves.  There’s that oxygen mask analogy again.

Exactly one year ago today, I launched this blog.  I didn’t have a clear focus for it except my belief of the importance of having a ‘vision’ for our children, a ‘big picture’, future goal of wanting the best for them.  Health and happiness, the knowledge that they are loved and can be themselves and rely on themselves to navigate their way through the world we live in, with others.  I knew I wanted to add in some lessons I’ve learned about life with kids and some education and literacy stuff, since that’s my thing. I have since learned another lesson.  It didn’t all fit into one tidy tag line.

I have probably revised the ‘About’ page about ten times over the year, and I’ll be doing it again.  It’s getting more clear now.  A Vision for our Kids is about gratitude, life lessons, humor, motherhood, parenting, education, mentors and stories.  And you have helped to make it what it is through your hundreds of comments comments here and on Facebook, through the Yummy Mummy Club, SavvyStories and in our tweet conversations.  Thank you for over 17,500 views from the bottom of my heart!    

So how does this one year anniversary tie in to The Gift of Motherhood?  Our kids are naturally the greatest gifts we will ever experience.  I have been writing all of my life, and value friendship deeply.  This past year, I have made connections with more mothers and new friends than would have ever been possible before social media.  I have also being teaching special education. In the last three years, I have become an aunt for the first time.  Communities of friends and mentors supporting each other mean so much.  At every turn, I see how being able to read, write and socially connect with others has such an impact on the quality of one’s life.

A Vision For our Kids has so many things going on, that to address literacy, I have decided to leave the really heavy lifting to That Fun Reading Teacher.  She seems to really have her platform set up to focus on pre-kindergarten to grade three reading, writing and early literacy skills. Please drop by and say hello. Rumor has it, she’s got a fantastic set-up and she is looking for new subscribers. 

You’ll find the two of us remarkably similar in our beliefs and personalities, and I can attest to her credentials.  Consider us partners in wishing the best for families and children.

And thank you again, for a life-changing year.

Warmly,

Ida Mae

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