being a parent - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

I have fought these long years in efforts I pray are not in vain. It is my duty to keep you safe. In that I must either win or give my life to its cause. Yet as there is no pride in cowardice, there is nothing gained by the foolhardy. And so, in my autumnal years, even as winter calls, I stand on guard for thee. Weep not for my struggle, yet be warmed by my love. And for the pain I could not save you from, let me have my tears.

Being a parent changes you. You are blessed with a baby, a sacred gift, a sacred duty, to raise them with love and protect them, yet give them their freedom when the time is right. Every blessing is a curse. You must accept that to love them is to sacrifice for them in whatever ways are necessary.

My life has been defined by womanhood and by motherhood. Feeling a new person grow within you and raising them to become an independent person is the greatest privilege and the greatest challenge. It weaves with my other accomplishments to form whom I have become. Being a parent should be that way, not an additional thing or an "add on" but a central theme that other passions revolve around.