| Little girls have many preconceived notions about | | | | decide what my dream is worth. |
| marriage and love. Mine always included the ideal | | | | I was born to become a teacher. Now, I am a |
| life of mothering five children. I had it all planned | | | | mother. I want to say that I could be both and |
| out. First, I was going to become a teacher and | | | | nothing would be lost. But that would not be |
| then, a few years into my career, I would marry. | | | | realistic. Forget about teaching, and I stifle my |
| We would start our family on a financially stable | | | | lifelong desire to develop the creative engines of |
| foundation. We all know that our futures are not | | | | future artists. Indulge myself with a degree and |
| set in stone, but I thought mine was. | | | | career and I lose precious moments with my first |
| Stone by stone, I came to realize that my plan | | | | born son; moments that can never be regained. I |
| was not how my life was going to turn out. | | | | have to sacrifice moments where my little boy |
| Everything in my dream is still happening, just not | | | | discovers the world around him in order to |
| in the order I planned on. You see, I found him | | | | discover my ability to influence the future of our |
| earlier than I thought. My soul mate showed up | | | | society. Should I wait until he is older? Are those |
| my senior year of high school. | | | | moments any less precious? No, they are all |
| No one plans to find them. No one is expecting it | | | | equally valuable to a mother. Would the price of |
| to happen, and no one can blame me for falling in | | | | those moments be worth the look in his big blue |
| love. He was the one I wanted to meet after my | | | | eyes when he is old enough to understand my |
| college degree sat framed safely beside the | | | | sacrifice and efforts to better our family's future? |
| picture of my family celebration. Being the first to | | | | Our son was foremost in my mind when I made |
| graduate college, my family would surely throw an | | | | this life altering decision. The look of pride I desire |
| elaborate celebration. | | | | from him as he graduates from the college of his |
| No one in my family planned on me graduating, | | | | choice, is the pride I know my mother desires to |
| but I was going to, that is until he came along. He | | | | see within my eyes. And so, with considerable |
| swept me off my feet, and made me forget | | | | effort, I have decided to attain my lifelong dream |
| about the celebration I had planned. He was | | | | of becoming a school teacher. As I look back at |
| perfect, perfect enough for me to marry. Even | | | | the picture on my desk, one thing has changed. In |
| more perfect, is our son. His radiant four-toothed | | | | my arms as I cross the stage, I will be carrying |
| smile is worth the world. But now, I have to | | | | my son, who has endured the journey with me. |