Photograph of Shirin von Wulffen by Claiborne Swanson Frank, courtesy of Assouline Publishing. 

To celebrate Mother’s Day, our co-founder Shirin reflected on the lessons she’s learned about motherhood while raising two wonderful kids, Philip and Cecilia.

“My children have taught me to be a more authentic person. Before them, I tended to be a perfectionist with a desire to please everyone around me. But when you have children, you realize that all they want from you is for you to be truly yourself and to relax.”

“Being a mother is like being a guide, which also means that you progressively hand them the reigns to their own life. As you loosen those reins, you have the chance to pick up the ones of your own life and to pursue your own passions.”

“For me, spirituality or religion are important because they give children a sense of a higher being and of feeling protected and cherished.”

“The most important thing my mother taught me is when you fall off a horse, you have to get right back on…today, you would probably call that grit."

To read more lessons from modern motherhood, check out "Mother & Child" by Claiborne Swanson Frank.