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Mom of the House: My one goal for my 29th year

Brianna's about to drive for the first time
2017-11-02 Baby Brianna Bell
Baby Brianna. Photo provided

On Nov. 11, 1989, after nearly two days of attempting to induce labour, little Brianna Rose Miles was born via caesarean section to her exhausted and thrilled mother.

That teeny 7-pound, 6-ounce baby was me.

My Mom’s due date was somewhere around the middle of October. For whatever reason I really wasn’t interested in coming into this world, and arrived three weeks after my due date.

My poor mother!

Next Saturday I’ll be turning 28 years old and entering my 29th year on this earth. I really haven’t been around very long, but I feel like in a short amount of time I have lived a lot of life.

From spending my childhood in Brampton living with my single-mother and learning to take care of myself at a young age, to leaving home at 17 to attend McMaster University, I lived a life of independence and relative freedom from an early age.

Getting married at 21 and having my first child at 22 was a big change for someone used to a lot of “me time.” Suddenly life wasn’t only about me, and life felt a lot less free. Over the last six years I have been pregnant for a total of 27 months and breastfed for a total of 46 months. It’s been a thrilling ride in so many ways, nurturing and watching three children grow while falling in love with my husband over and over again these last six years.

Every year around my birthday, I like to spend some time reflecting on where I’ve been and what I hope this next year will look like. Life tends to go at its own pace and direction, but it’s still a good practice to set goals for the upcoming year - in my opinion at least.

Closing the chapter on this year of my life and moving forward as a 28-year-old mother of three feels monumental in many ways. Our family is now complete with our three little girls, and we are slowly moving out of the tiny baby stage. It’s a big step for our family and it feels like new and exciting things are just around the corner.

My vision for this year is to start to focus a bit more on developing my own personal interests and hobbies. My entire body and mind have been consumed for so long with tiny babies, and it feels like we are ushering in a new era of a bit more freedom.

I hope to gain a bit more independence as a woman, which is why my first goal as a 28-year-old is to finally get my license.

Wait, what did I just say?

It’s true. I don’t have a license! What is wrong with me? Seriously!

For whatever reason, I have a very intense fear of driving, and always have. For so long now I have relied on my husband or others to take me places, or I simply just stay home (or walk if I can).

With three kids it has became a serious hinderance in my freedom and life, along with the life of my family around me. As scary as it is for me personally, I know the benefit of finally getting my license and being able to take on some driving responsibility at home will open up so many new doors for us as a family.

So yes, my goal for this year is to finally get out there and start driving. It’s a scary idea for me, but also thrilling.

Please be gentle if you leave me a comment about this. It’s not something I talk much about publicly, but maybe a bit of public pressure will get me out on the road sooner.

Here’s to a new and exciting year ahead for our family, and me as an independent driver!


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Brianna Bell

About the Author: Brianna Bell

Brianna Bell is a Guelph-based writer who focuses on events, small businesses, and community stories. In addition to GuelphToday, she has written for The Guelph Mercury and The Globe & Mail.
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