Pragmatic

pragmatic |pragˈmatik|
adjective
dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations

realistic |ˌrēəˈlistik|
adjective
1 having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected

Motherhood does interesting things to a person. It has a way of turning a person into a much more "streamlined" version of themselves (in some cases... in others a more jumbled, exhausted, messy version). We no longer are people who linger or dawdle or even contemplate. We are replaced with people who do two or more things at one time (ALL.THE.TIME). We almost never finish a thought, we consider a protein bar eaten in the van a meal and we certainly have no idea what is going on in the world. Such an interesting change. Some of it is good. You learn the art of editing and delegating (again, most of the time). You know how to prioritize within seconds. You are cool in a crisis and can go on almost no sleep.

The other side is that it forces out some of our spontaneity. Not that it's gone but it gets harder to hang on to. It pushes aside some of the whimsy and idealism. It makes us more "real" and "grounded" and "rooted". Those are all good qualities but for those of us who were a little more free before kids it is also a detriment.

What I wonder is will we get it back. As our toddlers turn to preschoolers and then kids and then start having their own life do we get some of our pre-children mojo back? Some of it? All of it? I guess it is something that each of us is going to have to wait and find out. Maybe if we look at it as an adventure it'll bring some of the spunk back. ;D