I was very fortunate to grow up alongside my child, lucky to have him anchor me to make choices that were better than the ones I was making for myself alone.
The younger me didn't realize that when I took a plane to leave my country in search of new experiences 19 years ago, I was giving up the chance to have my loved ones close by when I became a mother. And when I say close by, I mean as in no planes involved.
I began to struggle with my own identity in the face of my children's developing independence and expanding worldview. Who am I without a little person clinging to my legs in front of strangers? When I think about it, as moms, we even introduce ourselves in a child-centric way: "Hi, I'm her mom, Sharon." Child first, me second.
