Sacrifice....

sac⋅ri⋅fice /ˈsækrəˌfaɪs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation ce44[sak-ruh-fahys]

noun, verb, -ficed, -fic⋅ing.

–noun

1.	the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.

2.	the person, animal, or thing so offered.

3.	the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

4.	the thing so surrendered or devoted.

5.	a loss incurred in selling something below its value.

6.

Also called sacrifice bunt, sacrifice hit. Baseball. a bunt made when there are fewer than two players out, not resulting in a double play, that advances the base runner nearest home without an error being committed if there is an attempt to put the runner out, and that results in either the batter's being put out at first base, reaching first on an error made in the attempt for the put-out, or being safe because of an attempt to put out another runner.

–verb (used with object)

7.	to make a sacrifice or offering of.

8.	to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.

9.	to dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit.

10.	Baseball. to cause the advance of (a base runner) by a sacrifice.

–verb (used without object)

11.	Baseball. to make a sacrifice: He sacrificed with two on and none out.

12.	to offer or make a sacrifice.

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Origin:
1225–75; (n.) ME < OF < L sacrificium, equiv. to sacri- (comb. form of sacer holy) + -fic-, comb. form of facere to make, do ¹ + -ium -ium; (v.) ME sacrifisen, deriv. of the n.

Today I'm going to discuss something that may or may not be controversial. I'm going to discuss motherhood and what I think it means to be a mother. Obviously, with the information above, I think motherhood is about sacrifice. Now, these are all going to be my opinions and my feelings on the subject, so please, if you disagree, you may leave a comment or you may simply click the red box w/ the X in it at the top right hand portion of your screen, thank you!

Now to start off, I do believe that mothers give up a lot when entering the world of motherhood. To some, I think that it might be a shocking thing, and to others, I think they give in quite willingly. I myself, think that I gave in quite willingly, I believe that I was always destined to be a mother, and the feelings that I have for my children are feelings that I don't think I could ever experience in life without actually being a mother. I think being a mother is blessed, and a complete and utter privilege. Sadly, I do understand that there are some people who do not agree w/ that statement and feel quite the opposite, and they are most certainly entitled to their feelings. I think that some women do not quite fully grasp what it is to be a mother, what we 'give up' (some willingly, some not so much so) in order to be the best mothers that we possibly can, and some women just fail miserably every corner they turn w/ their children. There are many things that I think we as mothers sacrifice, or give up, if you will... I will list the things that I feel I have given up in becoming a mother, and the reasons behind my feelings.

As a mother, I have given up my body.

[ I have stretch marks across my belly that have Emma and Abby's names written all over them, and I fear that no amount of diet and exercise will take them away, and I am completely willing to accept this fact. I also have a large amount of scar tissue and stitches in areas I never thought I ever would, LOL! I am okay with this as well. ]

As a mother, I have given up my freedom.

[ I do not feel that I can drop everything I am doing and do whatever my little heart desires anymore. I have my priorities that I must attend to above and beyond my own. I can not sleep in until noon, and go to bed at 2 am- and I am completely okay with this. ]

As a mother, I have given up my emotional outbursts.

[ There have been times when I felt like I really needed a good cry, or a foul mouthed rant and I have caught myself because I usually have a set of blue eyes and a set of brown eyes, and 4 little ears upon me. I have quelled my wild emotions for my children and I am okay with that. ]

As a mother, I have given up my time.

[ It takes a lot of time to raise children. A lot of time in which we sit around and do little to nothing. Sometimes we might feel bored, or even overwhelmed. Sometimes we might even feel angry, or resentful. Either way, your time is not your own after you have your children. They own it and take it up freely w/o thought. And I'm totally okay with this. ]

As a mother, I have given up "party time"... ie. drinking, partying, 'clubbing', girls night out.

[ Now, I personally gave this up when I got married, because to me, it's just not necessary. I have a lot of strong opinions on mothers who act irresponsibly and remain in the "party scene" long after they are due to "settle down". I know, I know, a lot of disagreements on this topic as well, but the truth of the matter is, you're a mother, act like one. And if that is how your mother acts/acted- then break the cycle. ]

Those are just some of the things that I feel I have sacrificed when I became a mother. I truly believe inside that as a mother, you should not expect your life to be your own anymore, and that you should live and breath your children. Now I know, I'm sure I've struck a nerve there, as there are so many mothers who completely disagree with that! But that is why I prefaced the comment with I TRULY BELIEVE. These are my feelings, remember, and though you are free to disagree w/ me, please have enough respect to accept that we all have different opinions and feelings on this matter. I feel like I live and breath my children. I feel like my heart is actually beating inside my chest FOR them. Now, you ask "Well, what were you doing before they were here? Was your heart not beating for anything?" Well, it's complicated unless you felt exactly how I did! It's a different feeling than loving a mother, or a father, sister, brother or husband (in my opinion). It's something entirely different and something soul encompassing. It's motherhood. I think sometimes women do not know what 'they are in for' when walking through the door of motherhood and into the whole different world that has become your new life. I am sure there's a lot of people who think I'm loopy by now, thinking that your life doesn't have to change just because you're a mother, or just because you have given birth- but if you think about it, take a long lil sit down and think about it... life does change and it's best to just accept that change, because if you don't and are resistant, then there is going to be a lot of resentment. I can say that I have felt lost through my journey of motherhood. I have felt alone. I have felt misunderstood and just really, really tired. I've felt every emotion known to man along my (short) motherhood journey, and I know that there is so much more left for me to go through as my children grow older. There will be different chapters in my life, different pages of my life book to turn, but I will make myself stop, when the road begins to get hard, and I will remember that I am a mother, and it's my responsibility to guide my children, and to protect them for the rest of their lives (yes, even into adulthood. I'm "that" type of mother).

I believe that we sacrifice a lot when we become mothers. I do not believe that the sacrifices are negative. I think they are all wonderfully positive, and necessary in order for us as women to grow and raise our children in the proper way. I wish all of the mothers that read this good luck in your journey. It's going to be hard, easy, painful and happy all in one breath and it's going to be well worth it. Don't ever look back because the person that you were before your children is no longer, you are now amazing, powerful and simply... a mother. Enjoy it.