![\"Question\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/larakrupicka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Question-225x300.jpg?resize=225%2C300\")
No really. What do you<\/em>, mom, want to do most in life \u2013 today, tomorrow, next month?<\/p>\nCan you tell me off the top of your head, without needing to hear other people\u2019s answers first?<\/p>\n
I ask this question because I am guessing that I am not the only mother who has ever forgotten who she is and what she enjoys (beyond being with her husband and children). And I\u2019m probably not the only mom who has gotten so caught up in her notions of what she was supposed<\/em> to do or supposed<\/em> to be like, that she lost sight of her true self.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t honestly answer the question of what you would most like to do during the time you have on this earth, you may have forgotten too. Or maybe you\u2019re just unsure.<\/p>\n In the realm of bucket lists and life longings I often see people wanting a sample list to work from. They want to know what other people would call bucket-list-worthy aspirations. \u201cGive me a bucket list I can work from,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n And I understand this. Another person\u2019s list can be great for inspiration \u2013 to show us how big and bold we could go. It\u2019s entertaining to read what someone else wants to pursue.<\/p>\n But I think particularly among moms there is an insecurity behind wanting a pre-determined list. We spend so much time sacrificing for the little people in our lives \u2013 in essence denying our own interests \u2013 that we can no longer pinpoint what we would choose for ourselves if given the chance. And oftentimes we get so busy trying to keep up with moms around us for the sake of giving our children the best opportunities in life, that we quickly become imitators. Imitators who unintentionally mask their real desires.<\/p>\n So taking the time to answer the question of what you want is an important exercise. Our children need self-assured mothers who know themselves. They need moms who have a destination in mind besides the doorway of their child\u2019s college dorm room 18 (or fewer) years down the road.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a simple question. What do you want to do. Yet the answer won\u2019t come easy. Certainly not in the errand-filled, volunteering, kid-schlepping life of a modern mom. But we need to make it a priority to ask and answer it repeatedly over the course of our children\u2019s lives. Because if we wait to answer until they are grown, the answer may have faded away or moved out with our children. And we will have missed out on having our children as companions on our journey toward fulfilling some of our life ambitions.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re still not sure, that\u2019s okay. Take it as a sign that you need some personal attention. Then give it to yourself: recognize what moves you, what sparks energy in you. Re-engage in an old hobby. Try something, anything new for the sake of testing the waters. Soon you will find that the answer will resurface. And with it will come you as your best, truest self and mother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What do you want to do? What is your biggest dream, your highest hope? No really. What do you, mom, want to do most in life \u2013 today, tomorrow, next month? Can you tell me off the top of your head, without needing to hear other people\u2019s answers first? I ask this question because I…<\/p>\nWhat do you want to do?<\/h4>\n