While Crystal and Luis Flores both hail from the Milwaukee area, the arrival of their son Gabriel a year and a half ago has made them appreciate their hometown anew. Becoming a mother has inspired Crystal to explore the adventures of parenting in her podcast, Mamas Daily Dose.
What was the first year of being a mother like for you? What did it teach you? How did it change you?
Being a first time mom has been amazing! I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult at times, but I never knew I could love a little person so much until I had my son. This past year has taught me not to be so hard on myself. I am a Type A personality and a bit of a control freak. With a toddler, I realized I have to go with the flow, remain calm and just enjoy the small things. It’s been incredible watching Gabriel grow and learn new things every day. Motherhood has made me more patient and understanding and I truly have a deeper level of respect for mothers in general.
What are you like as a mother? What is Luis like as a father? What do you prioritize as parents?
In the first several months of motherhood, I was worried about everything! I was stressed and anxious about simply raising a child. There really isn’t a manual or how-to guide for every situation that could possibly come up in motherhood. As Gabriel has gotten older, I have relaxed a bit. Luis is an amazing father! He took the late (early) shifts and diaper duty from day one and never complained about it. He is sweet and caring with my son, but he has such a playful side to him as well. Dad is definitely the funny one. Gabriel thinks everything Dad does is hilarious and I really enjoy watching the two of them interact. I am the nurturer, the one Gabriel wants to cuddle with and the person he wants to cling too. I breastfed my son for fourteen months and that really created a special bond between us.
As parents we prioritize spending time together as a family. God, family, work — in that order! Most of the time my house is a mess and laundry is left in the dryer for days, but we’ve learned to be okay with that! Since I am a working mom, I really do have a limited amount of time to spend with my family and I cherish every moment we get to spend together.
Congratulations on starting your podcast! What inspired you to launch it?
I love listening to podcasts! This was honestly a great way to help me envision what giving birth was going to be like. I felt empowered listening to women all over the world share their stories about bringing new life into the world. After becoming a mom I realized, I too have a story and I wanted to tell it to others. If I could share tips that could help even one person on their journey in motherhood, it would all be worth it. I finally decided to go for it and create my own podcast. It was challenging getting everything initially set up, but it’s become such a fun hobby and a great medium to get my message across.
What have been the best parts of working on Mamas Daily Dose?
The great thing about Mamas Daily Dose is the people I’ve interacted with on social media. There are so many women that have gone through similar experiences but also situations I couldn’t even imagine going through. I have met some mamas that were right in my “backyard” (living in Wisconsin) that I might not have met or encountered outside of social media. It’s been really awesome connecting with other mamas and sharing tips and tricks of motherhood. Women are truly amazing and it’s incredible and crazy all the things related to motherhood we have to deal with on a daily basis.
We love how you say on your website that “the best two teachers are experience and perspective.” What do you mean by this or what has it meant for you?
I read a bunch of books while I was pregnant about what to expect, breastfeeding and raising your children. There is so much information out there and it’s hard to parent by “doing everything by the book.” It really is about experience and perspective. My husband and I learned certain things about Gabriel just from experience and all the reading in the world couldn’t have prepared us for it. I also always try to keep a positive outlook on things. There were many situations that were very tough during birth, postpartum and parenthood, but I kept a positive mindset and tried to look for the good in any situation. That’s the only way I can get from one difficult experience to the next happy one.