I was wrong. Motherhood isn’t an addition. It’s a liquidation.

I am still in the goo phase, honestly. But I am learning that the liquidation sale isn't a loss. It's a trade. I traded the ability to sleep in for the ability to catch my daughter’s smile at 6 AM—that gummy, uncoordinated, miraculous thing. I traded the quiet of my own mind for the noise of a tiny person learning to laugh.

Since I don't know your specific story or angle, I have drafted a sample personal essay in the signature Mutha voice: honest, visceral, and unromanticized. I've credited it to . Title: The Liquidation of Self: What No One Tells You About the First Year