In motherhood we have the opportunity to experience many "first times", both for ourselves and for our children. Being present at the moment when our baby says his first word or when he begins to crawl, is undoubtedly a moment full of enthusiasm and joy that many fathers and mothers long to have and keep.
But when you are a mother who works outside the home, some of those first times occur when you are not. This was what happened to the tennis player Serena Williams, who was not present in her daughter's first steps and shared her reaction: crying when she couldn't see them for herself, something with which some of us may feel identified.
Since becoming a mother, tennis player Serena Williams has joined the list of celebrities who openly talk about her motherhood, even sharing moments when they feel vulnerable after having had children or problems they have faced.
Now, the champion has recently shared on her Twitter account a moment and feeling with which many mothers will surely be able to identify, especially those who work away from home.
She took her first steps… I was training and missed it. I cried.
- Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) July 7, 2018
"She took her first steps… I was training and I missed them. I cried."
Personally, I felt very identified with the publication of the tennis player, because during the first year of my daughter's life, I still worked away from home 40 hours a week and I missed several of her "first times". One of them, It was also his first steps, which I ended up watching in a video that was sent to me moments after this happened. And like Serena, I cried.
I was very happy for my daughter, knowing that little by little she was developing and learning. But it hurt in my soul not to have been present. I shared my feelings on my Facebook account and some friends who were mothers of children a little older than my daughter, gave me messages of encouragement and helped me to stop feeling sad. And just that, it was what also happened to Serena.
He immediately began receiving responses to his post on Twitter, from mothers who had also been through the same and from women who had been babysitters and had to see those "first times" instead of parents.
One of these, confessed that he never told parents the first time that their children did something, so that they did not take away that joy and emotion of seeing something for the first time. Another mother told him something we can all apply: "He doesn't count until Mommy looks at him. Nothing counts until mom looks at him".
And one of the most tender and motivating responses Serena received was precisely from another famous mother who shares her experience with motherhood, and we love it: the model Chrissy Teigen.
she is practicing so you can see the real ones. ❤️
- christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) July 8, 2018
"She is practicing so you can see the real ones"replied Chrissy, who has spoken openly about the difficulties she has had after becoming a mother and who is a promoter of breastfeeding.
It is true that when we are mothers and work outside the home, we can miss some of those first times of our children. But also by working and fighting for the life we want, we are setting a strong example for our children. Let's do our best to avoid feeling guilty, and remember that the real first times, are those that we share with them.
