The Strength I Found Through My Son’s Eyes

There are stories we expect to write as mothers — and then there are the ones that write us.

This is mine.

This is ours.

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Before I became a mom, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what strength looked like.

I thought it meant pushing through. Holding things together. Doing it all. And doing it well.

But then came Matthias.

From the beginning, he challenged everything I thought I knew — not just about motherhood, but about myself. He didn’t follow the “expected” timelines. He asked for more of me than I thought I had to give — emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. And yet, day by day, I grew.

I grew in patience, even on days when I had none.
I grew in advocacy, when I had to speak up even though my voice was shaking.
I grew in presence, when I learned that the best way to love him was simply to be with him, just as he is.

Matthias doesn’t need me to be perfect. He needs me to show up. And in showing up for him — day after day — I discovered a new kind of strength. One that isn’t loud or showy. One that doesn’t look like “having it all together.” One that bends without breaking.

I used to think strength was about never falling apart.
Now I know — strength is choosing to get back up, even when you’re tired, even when no one’s watching.

And the truth is, Matthias has taught me far more than I’ve taught him.
His way of seeing the world reminds me to slow down. To find beauty in small things. To celebrate tiny victories. To keep believing.

He is my reminder that strength comes in many forms.
Strength is not always about standing tall. Sometimes, it’s about kneeling down, holding on, and seeing the world through the eyes of someone you love.

”Matthias has been my greatest teacher. Through his eyes, I found not only strength, but a deeper joy — one I would have missed if I hadn’t learned to see differently”.

And maybe, if we are willing to look closely enough, we’ll find that the greatest strength of all comes not from what we do — but from how we love, and how we see.