Putting the children first

Nicole Guttermuth

By Nicole Guttermuth

Even though I am an only child, I was never particularly selfish. This debt of gratitude I owe to my mom, who is one of the most selfless human beings I know. One of her sayings that has always struck with me throughout life is “it’s nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.”

As a mother, she always put me first. Not in a “the world revolved around me” sort of way, but in the way, in my humble opinion, parents should put their children first in most instances. Despite that she might have been tired from an eight or 10-hour day on her feet as a nurse, caring for the needs of others, when we got home from school and work, her focus was on helping me get my homework done, making sure I ate dinner and took a shower, and tucking me into bed at a reasonable hour so I could get up in the morning and be ready to tackle another day at school.

It was only after my needs were met that she turned her attention to other things. Truth be told, by that point she was probably ready to climb into her own bed and go to sleep so she could start another day taking care of other people.

When I became a parent, life ceased to be about me. If I had to pick a pivotal moment when I understood this fully it would have to be this: my own personal comfort became less important than that of my daughter being able to sleep peacefully and soundly.