I just pushed SUBMIT to send my thesis project manuscript for publication. I have to be honest, I had tears blurring the screen as I finally pushed that button. I am not ashamed to say that I am so proud of these tears, so proud that I did something hard and long and life-changing. Getting my Master’s degree has been one of the biggest goals on my “bucket list” for years, but when I started it over two years ago I couldn’t have imagined that it would give me something to focus on during some of the hardest times of my life. Somewhere along the way, it became so much more than a big goal for me. When I saw how my kids watched me work and sacrifice for this goal, how they asked questions and cheered me on when it was hard, it became more about them then it was about me.
It became important to me that my kids see me work for something bigger than myself and that they get a front-row seat to see me chase a dream that was hard and continue to pursue when the road got bumpy. I believe that this is how our kids learn that it is okay to dream big, it is okay to struggle, it is okay to work hard, it is okay to start something that you can’t see the end of. Our best teaching practice as parents is to SHOW them how to persevere, SHOW them how to adapt, SHOW them how to grind, SHOW them how to be proud of themselves.
Today, I am SO PROUD. I am proud of myself for accomplishing one of the biggest and most challenging goals I have ever set, but even more importantly, in the midst of that pride, I am even more PROUD to be their mom and for this one short and fleeting moment to feel like I have truly done something right for them.
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