THOUGHTS. OF. A. FIRST. TIME. MOTHER

Paola Cooper

Texas

            Growing up I always knew I wanted to do something good for the world. I didn’t know what it would end up being but I knew it would make a difference. I am the first child in a small family of two. Being a good example was what my parents always taught me. Sometimes it was tough setting the path for my sister and I, but at other times it was rewarding to see the good qualities she learned from me.

            As the years went by and I grew older, and like most other adults had my goals set in stone and was determined to accomplish them. Going back to what I said before about wanting to make a difference, well during college was when I finally decided what that role would be. I wanted to pursue my career in the medical field. I wanted to help out people in times of distress and wanted to make them feel better. I became a paramedic and loved every second of it. The adrenaline of saving a person’s life at 70 miles an hour was exhilarating. The sound of a dead-silent heart in a room filled with grief automatically change in a few minutes by my interventions to a strong beating heart could never be forgotten in my heart and mind. Giving people a second chance to live was what I wanted to do in life and it seemed like I had everything all in place. I had discovered my purpose in life and felt like I made a difference. But, life has a way of leading you a different path.

            I pursued my goal of being a paramedic for a short period of time and eventually life hit me. I settled down, got married, stopped being a paramedic and my husband and I became expectant parents.  To some this may sound like I gave up all my dreams and became a step-ford wife but to me it was different. I would like to describe it like a poem from one of my favorite authors, Robert Frost in the “Road Less Traveled.” In this poem he describes two roads, one, which clearly has been used quite often, and the other, which hasn’t. To me its seems like in the end I chose the road less traveled, “and it has made all the difference.” 

            Yeah, yeah being a mother and a wife is no road less traveled but do you recall that I am the first of two children??? I have no clue how to be a good mother and wife. Being a paramedic was so easy. I had a system and it was easy to follow. If a person had this then you would treat them with this….if a person had that, then you would treat them with that. It was all planned out for me; all I had to do was follow the directions. Well there is no pamphlet on being a wife, a mother, or a daughter it is a path less traveled for each and every one of us on this earth.

            I have discovered as time goes by that we are extraordinary humans with great mental capabilities of learning and progressing in this life. My lost purpose of contributing to this world was re-born and this time around stronger than ever. There is no greater calling in this life than being a great mother and wife. Being a paramedic is debatable but life comes and goes each day, no matter how hard we try we can’t control it.  However, creating a little human creature out of love between two people and guiding it in this life has got to be the most special and self-rewarding thing that has happened to me.

             I have learned that one of the keys of being a great mother, wife and daughter is by living through example. My mother set a great example of what a good mother and wife should be. I set a good example to my sister of how to be a good daughter. Now it is my turn to do the same for my children. Set the example I want them to follow when they grow up. I have to be a C.R.O.W.N girl! I have to create a radiant outgoing woman in me RIGHT NOW! My mom was a successful woman because she was confident in who she was and never doubted herself. Her words are powerful and full of wisdom. I plan on following these great attributes and incorporating them in my teaching style with my children. I want them to see a mother who is kind, strong, powerful, loving and nurturing. I have to live by my words so that one day they can follow in my footsteps.

            Being a paramedic is about giving second chances, I plan on giving my children as many chances as they can get every second of their lives. I didn’t give up my career. I found my true purpose of making a difference in this world and that is by creating the best chances of a successful life for my children in this world. “And that has made it all the better.”