Parents and children

After Mia was born, I was surprised that I continued to be somebody's daughter.

When you're growing up, you think of your parents as Parents with a big P. Parents do important Parent-type stuff. They Pay The Bills, File Taxes, Have A House, Have Kids and do other really Important Things that seem light years away.

In the first three months of Mia's life, I'm pretty sure I've called friends and relatives about 7 million times to ask questions. Am I doing things right? Is she happy? Is she healthy? What does it mean when she cries this way or that? Am I doing enough to stimulate her, engage her, teach her, comfort her, love her? I know I'll call for advice millions of more times.

It isn't until you're completely responsible for someone else do you realize how vulnerable you really are.

And it wasn't until I started facing that vulnerability and overcoming it did I realize that my parents must have felt that way, too. My parents probably called their parents a million times and asked about what to do for me. They were kids, too.

You think of you parents as superheros who were born somewhere around age 40. Parents with a big P. They already know everything. You can't imagine there was a time in their lives when they didn't. But as I've transitioned into this new phase of life, it's given me a new appreciation for all of my parents.

When you become a parent, you don't stop being a child. You're always someone's daughter or son. I appreciate that I can still call my parents and ask for help. It's really a lovely place to be in life.