Motherhood: The first 100 days

Much press has been given to Barack Obama's first 100 days in office. It is good timing that this benchmark coincides nicely with my first 100 days of motherhood. For the record, I had a head start as I began my new role about 48 hours before President Obama began his new job. As I cross this threshold and enter the eternity that motherhood will last, I've had time to reflect on the joy, misery, wonder, mystery, and curiosity that my new role entails. You may wonder how I have had any time to reflect given that I am now a wife, mother, and full-time manager who is back at work...the simple answer: airports. It is much more pleasant to focus on internal thoughts rather than the craziness, insanity, and general unhappiness that often manifests in airports. (for those of you who fly frequently, you know what I mean)

My past 100 days has made me consider the following aspects of being a parent. Babies really don't care who you are, what education you have, or the credentials you have to be a parent. Babies can entertain an entire room of adults endlessly by doing essentially nothing (I wish I could do this as effectively). Babies can scream. Loudly. And they can scream for no reason. (I wish I could do this). Babies remind you that there is joy and wonder in the small things. Babies remind you just how precious a smile is. Babies start to smile at the exact right time so that mothers will resist the urge to eat their young (non-mothers may think I'm crazy, but fellow mothers probably know what I'm talking about). Babies make you recognize and appreciate your own humanity.

My past 100 days has also made me want to develop several new features in baby gear. Baby monitors that come with a snooze button. Bottles that don't leak. Bottles that wash themselves. Laundry that is self-cleaning. Expandable baby clothes that grow with the child. Odor eaters in diapers.

My past 100 days has made me learn much about myself, too. I was not always a joy to my parents when I was a child (I'm really sorry, Mom and Dad). You don't have to talk to someone to get to know them - sometimes observing and just being with them is enough. Nothing beats a good cuddle. My own mortality is inevitable. Sometimes I really just want to scream for no good reason (fortunately my husband understand why I have this urge). Establishing a new family is hard; but it's the also the best job to be able to establish your own norms, values, and traditions (the possibilities are endless!).

President Obama may have taken on the economy, conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, global warming, taxes, and now the swine flu, but I think my first 100 days were more important. After all, who else has the opportunity to get to know and raise a child blessed with amazing cowlicks, a smile that can melt your heart in an instant and an ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound (really - he can - I mean, he has the cape and everything!)? Syed Brian is not perfect, nor will he be perfect when he grows up. But he is and will be unique and precious in exactly the way he was meant to be. And he will thrive in this crazy experience we call life. And he will do it in spite of his parents - that is what I've learned in my first 100 days.