Mothers on Motherhood: Krysta & Nereus

Good morning! This week's Mothers on Motherhood features a mama and blogger I was not aware of until I started this series which is rather awesome! One of the best things about blogging is that you get to 'meet' bloggers from around the world. I love the idea that in time this blog might feature a collection of mothers writing about their experiences from all four corners of the globe!

Introducing Krysta and her son Nereus...

Krysta & Nereus 15 months

blog: A Fairytale Comes Alive

facebook: A Fairytale Comes Alive

twitter: ForKrysta

When I got pregnant at nineteen, I had no idea about what would happen to me! Yes, I was young, but I knew I wanted to have this baby! My boyfriend wanted the baby, too! That was all we needed, right?

We didn't have any savings, we didn't own a car or a house, we had no careers. Having a baby while you have nothing to lean on might sound crazy, but we already knew people who didn't have much when they started and they made it anyway. At the time, my boyfriend had a job which was not perfect but was offering us enough to live and save for the labor. So we were fine!

I spent my pregnancy in beautiful Santorini island, which we decided to leave and rent a house in Athens a little bit before I had the baby. Unfortunately, things didn't come as we were expecting. While having a little baby, which is the most challenging thing, we faced too many other problems that broke us down.

We had a very difficult year. The Greek crisis is getting worse day by day. My husband couldn't find a proper job. I had to ask for help from my parents way too many times. The lack of money made us fight all the time. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it.

Despite all the problems, I was constantly reading books and thinking and taking conscious decisions regarding raising my child. In my mind, this was the most important thing! I never showed my negative emotions when he was around. The world was falling apart but it wasn't his fault. I brought him here and I was responsible for his well-being. Thinking about me as a mother, I am proud! I'm not the perfect mother! I've done mistakes. But I'm fighting everyday for him!

And here we are now...still have no savings, no car, no home of our own. My child is growing and I can't hide from him anymore to cry. I have to be happy, so he can be too! That's the best lesson I have learnt from being a mother! I appreciate what I have! Someone could say we have nothing, but we have it all!  We have a gorgeous baby who's our motivating force! We are young and strong and we love each other!

Sometimes I find it hard to make it to the playground. It's full of other mamas who want to talk to you and get to know you better. I mean, our kids are probably gonna play for years together. They always ask about what my husband's job is and where we live etc., and when I tell them they feel so sorry for me. They don't say it, but I can see in their eyes that they believe I have ruined my life, that I'm probably not a good mother because I'm young (and irresponsible?).

Sure, most people are more responsible in their thirties than in their twenties, but this totally depends on the person. In relation to other women I know, who had a home and a car and a job offering enough money, I 've done a better job as a mother! I'm not saying that I'm the best and everyone else sucks, but those women who felt sorry for me because I didn't have what they have, are not happier than me!  Money can't buy happiness! That's inside us...all we have to do is find it. And when we do, we'll be better mothers, better wives, better people!

I love this! Such true points about happiness and finding it within. I swear the person who discovers how to bottle that is going to be a billionaire.

Thanks so much Krysta for being so honest and thoughtful, I don't think being a good mother has anything to do with age or how much money you have. As all the books on parenting I've read suggest it's all about the love and it certainly sounds like you give your son plenty of that!

I'm so glad I decided to make this a weekly blog series as I've still got lots of lovely people to feature. There's always room for more though so if you'd like to be included drop me a line ohyouprettythingsuk@gmail.com.