When Was A Moment You Realized Your Mom Had A Whole Other Life Before Becoming A Mother?

Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie has literally taken over the world. The highly-anticipated movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has already raked in over $150 million from its debut alone at the box office, marking it as one of the biggest openings this year and one of the biggest openings for a female director ever.

After watching the film (I did participate in Barbenheimer), I found myself reflecting a lot about the experience of being a woman, which is already a little bleak in some aspects. So imagine the stir in my stomach when I came across this tweet:

Twitter: @alaiasmuse / Backgrid / Via Twitter: @alaiasmuse

Like, I instantly fell to my knees.

Thinking about how my mother had a whole entire life and experienced girlhood with dreams that may or may not have been acknowledged or attained leaves me completely tilted, and the Barbie movie really hit the nail on the head. That said, I want to know if there was ever a defining moment when you realized your mom used to also just be a little girl with hopes and dreams.

Maybe you took your mom to Disneyland for the first time and you couldn't not notice the child-like wonder and excitement on her face.

Maybe it was when you graduated high school or college and you realized your mom was so teary-eyed not only because she was proud but also because she never had the opportunity to finish school.

Maybe you realized your mom used to want a completely different life and job, but had to set those dreams aside to prioritize a family.

Or maybe you saw your mom doing a little hobby like sewing and baking, and understood that those were things she liked to do for herself and not anyone else.

Whatever it may be, if there was ever a moment that made you hyper-aware of who your mother was before she was your mom, I'd love to know. Don't be afraid to get into detail — how did it make you feel? Did it change how you view your relationship with your mom? Let me know in the comments or in this Google form for a chance to be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post!