From a Mother's Heart: the best way to teach love, care, and understanding.

When a child is born, we take on the greatest responsibility of our lives: to raise, care for, and love a little one who depends 100% on us, mothers.

In my experience as a first-time mom, I turned to books, listened to other mothers' stories, and did everything I could to raise and love my first child—filling in the gaps and doing my best to make him happy. Both my mother (because a mother is always a mother...) and I did everything we could so that he never lacked anything.

And only God and my mom truly know (in detail) all that I went through during that journey, trying to protect my son from pain and doing everything I could to not lose him... even after a separation, and hearing him say—while still very young—that he didn’t love me, that he only loved his father.

Was I perfect? Of course not. And I never will be—not even for my other two children from my second relationship. I still make mistakes. But back then I was only 23, and I had to face many hard lessons head-on. From learning how to be a mom to overcoming heartbreak and depending financially on my parents.

At the same time, I had to work and stay strong to care for a baby.

To this day, I have no words to thank my parents for the support they gave me during that time. And I never imagined they would do what they did for me, especially considering the conflicts we had when I was a teenager.

My mom took on responsibilities that weren’t hers and showed me how miraculous it is to have a child in our lives. I know she did it out of love—so much love for me and for my son (which only seems to grow with time).

After 20 years of growth, I now see things I never could have understood as a teenager or even as a new mother. I try to raise my kids with the same values I received, but I also give them the freedom I didn’t have—guided by maturity and wisdom.

Today, my oldest son is almost 20. And I can no longer be 100% present in his life (unfortunately), though I always try to stay close, help when I can, and respect his choices and independence.

Many things I’ve learned, I know he will only understand with time.

But one thing is certain: it’s so much better to learn from your parents than to learn from life.

In the teenage and early adult years, going out with friends, partying, dating... it’s all great. But life isn’t just about that. Most teenagers don’t yet have a sense of the future.

They live in the moment, often spend without control, and chase experiences—which is part of the process. But eventually, it’s time to "level up" and start thinking ahead. Short-term, mid-term, long-term.

Responsibilities can’t be left for after a party, a game, or a trip. They need to walk hand in hand with joy, just like in adult life.

And here’s a big tip: never let tasks and responsibilities pile up. Otherwise, you’ll unconsciously start putting yourself last. Life gets tangled, the energy gets stuck, and nothing moves forward...

One thing my mother taught me: “Knowledge is the greatest treasure you can give your child—and it's the only thing no one can take away.”

That’s what I want to leave for mine.

We only get this one life, and our time is ticking. What we choose and do today can completely shape our future.

#life #reflection #motherhood #raisingkids #time #choices #maturity #family