The Mother-Son Bond
We all think we know what love is — until we have children.
Once you have a child and hold that baby in your arms, your entire perception of love changes.
I was 19 years old when I found out I was pregnant, and I was terrified. I had no plans to be a mother. You hear people say things like, She’s so smart, I can’t believe she got pregnant. She had big plans for college — now it’s all changed.
And yes, I was scared to tell my parents.
Scared to disappoint them.
Scared because I had my whole life ahead of me and no idea how I was going to do this.
I didn’t know how I would make it as a mom.
I didn’t even know how I would survive labor pains.
I was the biggest baby myself — I couldn’t swallow a pill, let alone give birth to a child.
Today, my son will be 18 in less than two months.
He’s almost the age I was when I had him — only a year younger.
When I look back, I think about friends who were in college, building careers, doing things the “right” way. I think about how young women who get pregnant are told they’ve ruined their lives. That it changes everything.
And yes — it does.
But I wouldn’t change a thing.
I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for my son.
So what if I didn’t make millions.
So what if I didn’t have everything.
So what if my two-year degree took me five years — and I never even used it.
What I learned from being a mother taught me more than any book, teacher, or lesson plan ever could.
I learned unconditional love.
From the moment I held that baby boy in my arms, my world changed.
Everything I did became about making his world a better place. It stopped being about me.
Yes, I struggled.
Yes, I made mistakes.
Yes, I wasn’t perfect.
But I don’t feel like I sacrificed my life — because I wouldn’t be me if it weren’t for him. I wouldn’t have met the friends, coaches, and people in my life today if it weren’t for my son.
When you hold that baby in your arms, there’s a feeling like no other. It can’t be described.
You suddenly understand worry in a way you never have before.
You worry about what could happen.
You want to protect them.
You want to shelter them.
You feel their pain when they’re hurt, scared, heartbroken, stressed, or sad. You want to take it all away. You want to make it better.
I finally understood why my parents worried when I didn’t call to check in. Why they waited up when I got home late — even when I was grown.
I remember thinking that once he got older, I wouldn’t worry as much.
Yeah… right.
The closer your child gets to adulthood, the scarier it becomes. You realize you have less control over their choices — and you pray more.
You pray for their safety.
You pray they make good decisions.
But mostly, you pray that you’ve given them the tools to make those decisions for themselves.
You pray they say no to drugs.
You pray they don’t get into a car after drinking.
You pray they put their whole heart into what they do — because as a parent, you know your child can do anything they set their mind to.
After almost 18 years of being a mom, I finally get it.
I understand why, at 37 years old, my parents still want me to check in. Why they worry when they hear sirens and their child isn’t right there in front of them.
We don’t mean to be this way.
It’s just that from the moment you were placed in our arms, something changed forever. We discovered a love we had never known before — a love that makes us care more deeply, worry more intensely, and hold tighter.
So please, humor us once in a while.
Because one day, if you have children of your own, you’ll finally get it.
You’ll hold that baby in your arms and understand the true meaning of unconditional love.
Thanks for stepping into my wardrobe.
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