“Mama I feed the ducks?” I looked at my toddler, two and ready to take on the world, and said “um … yes baby you can.” As we walked over to the water and looked over at the lake there was a small part of me that said, go back this is way too scary and you can’t bring him here. Then something else happed, aside from the stress sweat that often happens in these situations with my toddler, I felt a surge of confidence and I wanted him to experience the world, so I refused to let him see my fear. We’ve done this a million times before with daddy here, I thought to myself, and I can do this on my own.”

Something happens when you become a mom, yes there are a million reasons to stress, or a million reasons to feel like you can’t do something with your little one, but then you realize that you can (and for me this kind of confidence has honestly been life changing). Motherhood basically means that I am living everyday outside of my comfort zone and it’s made me so much stronger. It took me a long time to feel this way, too long I think. It took me a long time to feel strong enough to get past my own fears, feel confident about who I am, and take courage to do the things I love. Now that I’m here, I want my sons to see my strength, learn by my example and find their own sense of confidence as they grow.

“Mama I need you …mama stay with me.”

As my toddler gets older I’m starting to relate to him in brand new ways. I’m remembering what it was like to be his age (or around his age) and remember experiencing what he is experiencing. I see myself in him in a new way and I’ve begun to realize how much of an impact I really have on how he sees the world or how he feels. I can remember wanting my parents to stay with me when it was bedtime or looking to them to gage their reactions before I reacted. I still look to my parents for guidance, confidence and lessons and I hope that my little ones will feel the same way when they are older, but that they also find confidence within themselves as they experience the world.

My toddler is old enough now that he looks to me for guidance, it’s crazy to think that if I tell him everything is ok he believes me, he trusts me and feels better knowing that I’m ok. As a new mom I’m learning how to be confident in myself, take courage and be strong for my little ones so they will learn by example and one day find their own way. I don’t know if confidence is something I can teach my children, but I hope I can find a way to give them what they need to find it in themselves.

So I’m writing an open letter to my toddler to share my hopes for him as he grows up and becomes a big boy in this big old world.

 I Hope you Fly

I hope you always look to the clouds and dream, knowing the world is bigger than you, but wanting to take it all in.

I hope you have the courage to be kind, even when it seems easier to be unkind.

I hope you celebrate the small things enough to know that they are really the big things.

I hope you are confident enough to celebrate others and to see joy in someone else’s joy.

I hope you are strong enough to stand still when the world is spinning.

And I hope you fly, that you find your wings (whatever colour they might be) and fly!

Love always,

Mama

“Mama I fly like birdie?” my toddler asked me the other day as a seagull flew past our house. I put him on my back as we ran around the backyard with his arms stretched out and said, “ yes you do baby, yes you do!”

Courage comes from overcoming fear, stepping outside of that small box we often call our comfort zone enough to experience the world and live as full a life as possible. My hope for my toddler and my youngest is that they learn confidence from experiencing life and all it has to offer; they become strong in their own way and find the courage to fly.

 

Let’s Talk Motherhood Series

I’ve partnered with some amazing bloggers as part of this “Let’s Talk Motherhood Series” and this month’s topic was Raising Confident Children. Be sure to check out their posts on the topics and share your thoughts on how you are raising confident little ones too in the comments !

Bloggers in the Series :

McKell Wilson: lifeasmrswilson.com

Aurora McCausland : auroramccausland.com

Vanessa Falsetti: josephineacreativelife.com

Jess: wildishjess.com

Jenn: whatyoumakeitblog.com

 

Outfit Details and a Giveaway!

 

My Outfit:

• Ladore Dress from Preloved

(this dress is perfect for those days when you are running errands, going for lunch or stopping to feed the birds).

• Agonis Summer Sneaker from Emu Australia

(these are my go-to shoes this spring and summer they go with jeans, dresses and trackers, so I pretty much wear them everyday)

 

My Toddler’s Outfit:

• Jean Jacket from Gap
• Harem Pants from Mini Mioche
• Ficus Kids Slip on Sneakers from Emu Australia

 

 

GIVEAWAY!

I’m so excited to partner with Emu Australia for another amazing mommy and me giveaway!

Head on over to my Instagram page to enter TONIGHT!

For an extra entry, be sure that you’re following Josephine: a Creative Life blog (follow button can be found on the right-hand side bar)

Xo

Vanessa

 

*Disclosure: Companies featured often sponsor my posts. If I love the company or products I am more than happy to share them with you!