Lead and champion others by empowering them with vulnerability.
Every day we have a choice to embrace new realities and the paradigm shifts before us. A collaborator and friend told me a few weeks ago; I keep everything pretty close to the chest. Meaning, people don’t know who I am or what I have to offer because I do not open up. I am also the last one to ask for help.
Today I am reminded I have a new reality of being someone’s mom. It did not happen overnight however the privilege to write, mother did.
Five years ago my husband and I decided we had something to offer; a safe place to live for a child to who may not have that opportunity. So, our journey began and we started the training to becoming Foster Parents. Jump forward to October 2017 we met our forever child “Sven” and welcomed him into our home the 28th of the same month.
Sven is beautiful and brings a lot to the world; at 12 he already knows a lot more about life than my husband and I put together. The past two plus years we have been in all of the feelings from anger, tears, fear, joy, and the parental “are you kidding me”. We have advocated for this kid in ways we had no idea we would have to do or even know what we are doing.
The truth, we were and are vulnerable enough to stand up and do it even when we have no idea what we are doing. We are teachable in these moments and brave enough to push back. January 2019 we adopted Sven at 14 and he embraced us as his new reality of a forever home. Sven now refers to us as his parents to others and we have had reports he refers to us as mom and dad behind our back. Sven still refers to us by first name.
Our realities are who and what we except and embrace in the life moment. The societal way to describe life moments is to put a title to them. My life experiences have taken me from certain titles of daughter, best sister ever, first grand-child (both sides), author, soccer star, tattle-tale, bussing tables, college graduate, administrative staff, complainer, champion for others, waitress, controller, asshole, winner and loser, vice president, analyst, speaker, boo-boo healer, aunt, innovation development, founder, entrepreneur, wife, friend, humorist, etc.… and mother.
I have learned some of these titles no longer serve a purpose. As an entrepreneur most of my days are never on one of the above for too long. Serving different clients and now flexing my schedule to accommodate Sven’s needs. My husband is not the faint of heart either, he has championed and empowered vulnerability at levels I have yet to understand. My husband is a superhero with a hidden heart of vulnerability on his undershirt.
Back to today. Sven has broken a finger and as we are at the specialist we found out he needs surgery tomorrow. So, all of the pre-operative paperwork there is “relationship to patient”. Before we would write foster parent, today I wrote mother. Sven was with me as we filled out the paper work at the surgical center and we giggled a bit this is our new reality and forever more I have the privilege of writing mother.
Timing is everything and this week one of my friends Micah Larson wrote her own truth in parenting and vulnerability of “I am new at this”. I am going to empower my husband to also be able to say, I am new at this.
Be vulnerable, be a champion for others, and as Micah empowered us to say; I am new at this.
Look Up and Out!
Tracy a.k.a. Mother
P.S. As I post this, it is surgery day. As the parent and Sven is a minor I am not to leave the building. I did not bring a lunch….anyone available to drop off a salad? Thank you, I am new at this.