9 Useful Lessons About Motherhood at 40

Motherhood is the most beautiful experience for any woman. Manufacturing a baby inside you isn’t really an easy feat, so congratulations on surviving pregnancy, labor, and delivery! However, the real deal has just begun, and if you happen to have had your children a bit later in life, the challenge will snowball into a bigger one.

With times, the whole idea of ‘older’ mothers is being redefined. Relationships have undergone a huge transformation, and that has contributed to change in the age in which people are becoming parents. People are choosing to commit themselves to long-term relationships later in life, thanks to the zillion other things modern life is preoccupying them with. As a ripple effect, they take their relationship to the next stage much later.

They embrace parenthood, or at least gear up for it when they feel they are old, mature, and ready enough, and all these things take time. Apart from that, health issues, affect their fertility as well. So, having a baby much later isn’t a new thing at all.

If you are someone who’s had a baby a bit late in life, the chances are that you might find all of this a bit confusing and taxing, but do not worry, here are a few things that will come in handy.

1. Keep calm.

If you are heading towards your 40s, patience might not be your best friend. With children around, you don’t just need patience, you need oodles of them. There would be moments when you would want to scream your guts out, but just remember that you can’t and you shouldn’t. Engage yourself in calming exercises such as yoga and meditation. They will help.

2. You need A Mommy Circle.

Having a child later in life could mean that few or nobody in your circle would have children as young as you do. This might result in you not having the right kind of people to talk to when you need it. So, you need to have a mommy circle for you to be able to share things with someone relatable.

3. Equality, always.

One of the most important things about being parents later in life is the fact that parenting will always have to be a 50-50 affair. Remember, when you are sprinting towards 40, you need your partner to pitch in with everything.

4. Smart Parenting.

After you are on the uncomfortable side of your 30s, you should work smart instead of working hard. Therefore, when it comes to entertaining your children, get them board games and books so that they don’t get bored and you don’t need to budge an inch.

5. Get the balancing act right.

There would be a lot on your plate including the big job of parenting, and most of them would be unavoidable. That’s when you need to get the balancing act right. You have to be good with time management and prioritize things. It would surprise you no bit that the first ten slots of your priority list would be your children.

6. ‘Me’ time.

Your children are very important, they need your time, and there are no two ways about it. But do you know who else is important? You! So, remember, having some ‘me’ time isn’t making you any less of a dedicated mother that you are. Just create some time for yourself and make life better.

7. Health Checks.

You have to keep tab on how your body is taking all the running around and the tiny humans you have made. So, frequent health checks are important. Being a full-time mommy requires you to be healthy, so, be on top of your game by monitoring your health now and then.

8. Seek help.

If parenting is bogging you down, there are several ways in which you could seek help, instead of slipping into your shell. You could either reach out to your family, who would love to help or get in touch with professionals qualified to help you. Whatever you choose, don’t be shy to admit that you need help, whenever there is a need. It’ll not make you a bad mama.

9. Have fun.

Age is just a number, all there only inside our heads. Parenting and mommy life can be a bit stressful, but past that, there are a lot of wonderful moments that you can cherish and make beautiful memories out of. So, while you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, don’t forget to have fun along the way!

While many people might tell you that having children at a later age would impact your parenting and mommy skills, with these points, you can shut them and show them your prowess. So, just have a ball with your kids, the rest will take care of itself.