10 ways becoming a mum makes you a better person

From handing over the last packet of Monster Munch, to abstaining from that handbag in favour of a new pushchair, there’s no denying that our priorities change a LOT once we become mums.

Up until this point, YOU were your number one priority. You put yourself first when making decisions or major life changes.

But, nowadays, you think about what’s best for your family - and you’re willing to make sacrifices to ensure that your little cubs are happy. Basically, selfishness has given way to selflessness - go you!

All these years you’ve strived for perfection - but now, finally, you realise that being ‘perfect’ isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Instead, you let yourself say what you’re really thinking. And you laugh harder than ever before. And you TREAT YO’SELF to a bubble bath, or a pizza, or a Netflix binge every once in a while. And you stay in when you want to, rather than dragging yourself out to parties you know you won’t enjoy.

And you look in the mirror, you’ll realise that you look more beautiful than before ever, even though you have a cornflake on your top, and bedhead hair.

Why?

We’ll let Roald Dahl explain: “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

Seriously. Much, much, MUCH more patient. And you’ve basically accepted that you’ll never be anywhere on time again.

We know it’s a cliche, but you really don't understand love until you become a parent; it’s unconditional, overwhelming, life changing, and truly has no bounds. And it seeps into your every day life, too.

Whether it’s something as simple as offering your support to a mother struggling to soothe a baby on a plane, or something as big as donating your time to raise money for the people of Syria, your love knows no bounds. Trust us.

Thomas Moore, who wrote Care Of The Soul, sums this up pretty perfectly: “The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”

Whether it’s sitting down to dinner as a family, reading them a bedtime story, blowing a dandelion clock, or just holding their hand, the little moments are all just as worth it as the big life-changing ones.

From leaving out letters for Father Christmas, or finding coins from the Tooth Fairy, or turning a cardboard box into a rocket ship, or making a wish on a dandelion, you’ve learned to find the beauty and joy in the world around you. And, yes, you’ve started to believe in magic again!

Why?

Because you’re seeing it through their eyes, all over again.

You can grow, birth, and feed babies with your own body - and don’t even get us started on the fact that you’re running on zero sleep.

That makes you a total badass, in our opinion.

Plus, you know, kids are heavier than they look. And toting them around, along with all their stuff, is bound to give you serious arm muscles!

Motherhood doesn’t just give you a confidence boost; it also reminds you that you don’t have to worry what everyone else thinks.

So what if some people don’t like you? And who cares if they disagree with your decisions? Because, at the end of the day, you have to ignore the haters and choose what’s best for you and your family - because they’re what truly matters.

Having everyone like you and agree with you all the time? Not so much.

It’s OK to admit you are knackered, confused, fed up – or all three. And it’s okay to ask your friends and family for help sometimes, or, at the very least, let them offer to help you.

You’ve realised that it really DOES take a village… and you’ve learned that it’s always better to set aside your pride and accept that, just sometimes, you need a hand.

Hey, even Supermum needs a break every now and again!

The moment you hold your baby in your arms, and feel that overwhelming rush of love, fear, and exhaustion, you’ll realise just how amazing your parents truly are.