Thank you to Tout for sponsoring this post and encouraging me to share mom’s best advice! Visit the SELF + The Honest Co. + Tout contest on self.com/momknows to share the best advice you received from your mom and enter to win $500 worth of The Honest Company product and a Maya Brenner Designs necklace valued at $200, in addition to having their Tout featured on SELF.com. Additionally, for every response a donation will be made to Baby2Baby.

WITH MOTHER’S DAY JUST AROUND THE CORNER, this post couldn’t be more perfect. 

Before any mothering advice, first things first. I will never forget when I first found out I was pregnant with my first child. It was almost 11 years ago, but I remember it all so perfectly. I also will never forget the ups and downs highs and lows and changes my body, heart, and mind went through. If I were to talk about being a mother I would really have to go back to when I was a little girl 6-7 years old. When most little girls were playing with barbie dolls or  other things, I was still heavily into my baby doll. I remember wanting this baby doll that was supposed to be like a real life baby doll, it even was made to have a heavy baby head. HA! love it. Well, I got that doll and played with it all the time. ENDLESSLY! I loved dressing her in real life diapers and real baby clothes, and even giving her a real bottle (nothing was in it of course) I day dreamed of the days I would be a mother. If you were to of asked me what I wanted to be when I was a little girl, I would have told you without a question in my mind? “A MOM!” Its easy to see why, when I was raised by such an amazing mother myself. Growing up my mother was always so loving, caring, kind, nurturing, and right there at the for front of our needs, desires, goals, pain, tears, everything. She was always my number one cheerleader, my number one friend, my number one mom. I must have watched my mom intently growing up in all she made, created, served, touched, and loved. My mother was great at everything she put her love and heart into, and she was a wonderful mother. I am most lucky.

So back to finding out I was pregnant, I was on CLOUD 9 and overjoyed. I could hardly wait for that special “Birthday” to meet my child. I remember thinking it’s finally happening, I am going to be a mom. I remember thinking I could do it all, be it all, and be amazing at it. My baby shower came just a month before little bubu was born. Lots of friends and family came. We sat around in a circle and everyone was to give me a piece of advice about being a mother. When it was my moms turn I remember her saying “Take any help you are offered!” I remember that so clear, because I thought I wouldn’t need any help, that I would be almost invincible.. the BEST MOM EVER! Why in the world would I need help? I was going to be a pro. HA! HA! HA! “MOMS KNOWS BEST!” if only I could have looked into my future with 4 kids… Man’ I would of hit my young naive self real hard. HA- AGAIN! truly the best mothering advice I can share- is “Take and receive all the help you are offered!” Those friends and family member’s will go home eventually, and you will be all alone essentially. HELP/Service- is a beautiful thing, so TAKE IT! 

ALSO MY GRANDMOTHER’S  advice to my mother when she was a new mom- Was that if you ever  felt at anytime that you were going to loose it, loose your mind, or loose control aka patience, to go into the other room alone, sit down take a breather, and count to 10. Gather up your nerve again and then go back to your child/children. IT TOTALLY WORKS!

330×609: