Kelly Rowland had some fears about parenting when she first realized she was pregnant, she told PEOPLE while attending the Safe Kids Day 2016 event on Sunday. She though she was missing the one virtue all parents seem to possess: patience.
“When I found out that I was going to be a mother, I was the mother who didn’t know that I had patience,” says Rowland. “I was really scared about being a mother, just simply because I didn’t think I had enough.”
Amid the excitement and anticipation of a baby on the way, first time moms can definitely have a lingering fear that they won’t be ready for the big responsibility and demands of having a child.
It’s not uncommon to feel scared that you won’t measure up to other moms or that you’ll somehow not be good enough. But as Rowland points out, any worries she had about her own shortcomings as a parent disappeared when her son Titan Jewel was born.
“When my son was born, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know where this patience came from!’” says Rowland laughing. “I was really happy, and that made me feel better about being a mom.”
While her personal worries about motherhood melted after the birth of Titan, there was still a steep learning curve that came along with being a parent.
“When I go to the pediatrician and he shows me this whole list of how to keep my kids safe, I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m just learning how to breastfeed! I’m just learning how to do this, and I’m just learning how to do that. There’s more instructions!?’”
There’s going to be a lot to learn as a first time mom and that can be totally overwhelming, especially when it seems like everyone else has got everything under control. The best thing to do, as Rowland says, is to take it “one day at a time.”
“I think that immediately, when I became pregnant, the first thing you think [about] is just doing a perfect job.” But, she adds, “you can’t think about it like that because love is the perfect job. It’s protecting them and making sure that they’re happy and that they’re going to be safe.”
You’re not alone in trying to figure out the best way to be a parent or move forward with your life. We’re all just doing the best we can, with where we’re at. So focus on today, where you are right now, and know that you’re doing just fine.
Image via PEOPLE.
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