6 Ways To Prepare Ahead for Motherhood Journey and Build a Wonderful Family

Source: ParentCircle

Conscious and active listening

Babies and families demand a lot of your attention. I used to feel that children’s tantrums and even their gibberish talks held no importance. Children long to be heard, and wish to be seen and deeply respected. Dismissing those emotions impacts your relationship with them in the future. For this you need to practice conscious and active listening. 

Empathy and understanding

As a new mother, nobody is better at understanding her child’s emotions than herself. But that’s not always the case. Do you want to know why? It’s because she may not have developed empathy and understanding at a good level. Empathy is a natural feeling that needs to be encouraged but is only developed if you keep practicing it. Empathy and understanding helps in building a supportive family bond amongst the members of the family. In fact, children learn empathy from their parents and imbibe the same qualities which help them in building bonds with others.  
 

Source: Verywell Family

Get ready for self discovery

Motherhood is no rocket science. It comes naturally, however, it's also one kind of roller coaster ride. You will have to discover and rediscover yourself again and again. Motherhood will change you completely but take it as an opportunity to transform yourself. A stagnant life is no good for building a strong and amazing family. One day you will wake up with perfectly happy kids, and the next day you know they are crying over something. In this process, I lost my patience multiple times, but it only led me to re-discover that I have a chance to become more patient. 

Prioritize your mental health

Mental health is one of those things that gets neglected in the process of juggling life, motherhood and building the family you envisioned. Make it a priority to inculcate some “me time” before you take on other roles and responsibilities.  Always keep the hour before you sleep and after you wake up for yourself. Even though it may not be possible all day everyday, it does make a difference. 

Source: What To Expect

Know about conflict management

Knowing how to solve conflicts peacefully can actually strengthen the bonds between people. Conflicts are also a part of any relationship. Conflicts that happen with children and within the family need to be solved with a lot of care. I had to learn this the hard way because raising three children under one roof is quite challenging. They will have their own preferences, likes and dislikes, and sometimes getting along with each other can be extremely frustrating. Getting to a practical solution without being partial requires conflict management skills. 

Give up on the idea of perfection

Perfection should be the last word in your vocabulary after you become a mother. There are happy families, but there is no such thing as a “perfect” family. Striving for perfection causes unnecessary stress and emotional drama in the family. Where there is too much perfection there is no room for fun or enjoyment.