The Rollercoaster Ride of Motherhood

“Have kids,” they said. “It’ll be fun.”

What they didn’t add is that it would be a rollercoaster of self-doubt, overwhelming love, laughter from the belly, tears from the soul, and more. You’ll get in line and wait nine months, give or take, full of joy and hope, but also misery and worry.

When you finally get to the front of the line, the excitement fights with the fear inside you. As you enter the ride and strap in, you realize you’re not sure what you’ve gotten yourself into. No matter how much you prepare yourself for the ride, you’re never truly ready until you’re forced to be.

As the ride starts to roll, all the questions fly through your head. Did I eat too much before I got on? Do I have anything in my pockets? What if the ride stops partway through? What if I fall off? Has anyone ever not survived this ride called motherhood?

Then the ride starts and you become too preoccupied with hanging on for the trip – enjoying the thrilling rises, and screaming during the sometimes devastating drops, and twists, and turns. Sometimes you witness the other riders dealing with the experience differently. Don’t jugdge them. You never know what their past rollercoaster rides have been like.

While it seems like it lasts forever, it also flies by and is over before you know it. Hang on tight and make sure to only close your eyes for a second at a time. If you blink, you may miss a part of the ride you can never get back.

When the ride pauses for people to exit, understand that for a mother, once you are on the rollercoaster of motherhood, there’s no getting off. The ride may stop for a bit to reload, but it’ll start just as soon as you can barely catch your breath. It’ll lift you up so that you feel on top of the world, and then it’ll crash you down so that you wonder if you’ve ever done anything right in your life.

The rollercoaster ride of motherhood is a reality that most women don’t understand as they get in line for it. It’s rewarding and restricting, beautiful but a burden. The best “fun” you’ll ever have in your life is the rollercoaster ride of motherhood.

If you’d like to donate toward our next rollercoaster ride, we’re planning a trip to Denmark with my oldest daughter’s soccer team. Check out her page here.