Author Blog: The Truth About Motherhood
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Earlier this week, Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the editor of “Living Jewishly,” wrote about engaging 20- and 30-somethings in the Jewish world and Rabbi Jason Miller wrote about exploring commonalities between religions. Today we hear from Living Jewishly contributor Rivka Nehorai. Their blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit:
No one ever told me
that to get older is to get better
and so much more satisfying
in a “ha-yes?!” type of way
And I thought that I should embrace my youth and hold onto it for dear life
until the wheel passed.
No one ever warned me
that becoming a mom is that much cooler,
in which your level of control and insight, wisdom and laughter
expands beyond yourself and your own dreams
into this greater complex organism.
No one ever whispered
that pregnancy was wild,
squirmy little baby within,
no need for air, thank you very much, just squirming around.
I made that, I laugh smugly to myself. Cool! (With help from the One Above, etc)
And I wonder- Why all the secrets? Why all the hushhush? Why pretend that college life is the best, or young and free is the ideal?
It’s not true, I tell you, it’s a lie, a lie that’s spreading across America.
I can assure you, I am much cooler now than I ever was then. With droplets of time for myself, a whole new mission, and a new direction
and explosion in life.
Spread the word.
Rivka Nehorai is an artist/writer, currently situated in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Besides caring for her little girl, Tanya Ester Avigayil, she works on commission, creating impressionistic portraits. Her work can be found at Naftaliart.com. She contributed to Stefanie Pervos Bregman’s book, “Living Jewishly.”
The Jewish Book Council is a not-for-profit organization devoted to the reading, writing and publishing of Jewish literature. For more Jewish literary blog posts, reviews of Jewish books and book club resources, and to learn about awards and conferences, please visit www.jewishbookcouncil.org.
MyJewishLearning.com is the leading transdenominational website of Jewish information and education. Visit My Jewish Learning for thousands of articles on Judaism, Jewish holidays, Jewish history and more.
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