Sheinelle Jones Shares Details of ‘Wake Up Call’ Experience With Her Daughter
Sheinelle Jones reflects on a crucial life lesson learned from a significant experience with her then-newborn daughter, Clara, while navigating the stairs in her home.
“I’m sure my mind was racing, completely unaware of my surroundings — particularly on those uncarpeted stairs, in slippery socks, with my brand-new baby in my arms. Then, out of nowhere, I slipped. BOOMBOOMBOOM down the stairs I fell, thankfully landing on my bottom,” Jones, 47, shared in her book, Through Mom’s Eyes, released on Tuesday, April 14. “Instinctively, I pulled Clara tightly against my torso, but I landed hard on the edge of that last step.”
Jones remembered shutting her “eyes tight on impact,” fearing the moment she would open them to see her daughter. (Jones and her late husband, Uche Ojeh, were parents to son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.)
“I managed to keep my baby girl close, but did I hold her too tightly, inadvertently hurting her? Would her face reflect an awful soundless scream, her little fists angry at my carelessness? Would she see the shame in my eyes and know that, on this day, her mom was merely lucky?” she pondered. “The thought made my heart drop.”
When Jones finally looked at her daughter, she found “trusting” eyes staring back.
“Unharmed and completely oblivious to my fear and pain, she gave me a toothless grin, as if to say what we often reassure our little ones after a fall: ‘It’s OK. You’re fine.’ Clara truly was, but was I?” she reflected.
Jones remained “in shock for a moment.” “Shame and gratitude flooded through me as I quickly processed how disastrous our fall could have been. In tears, I said a silent prayer, recognizing it was time for me to slow down,” she noted.
After the experience, Jones realized that nothing she had been thinking about while descending the stairs “mattered anymore.” It transformed her perspective, making her “intent on staying present.”
“It was a wake-up call about what truly counts,” she expressed. “The large bruise left on my backside took a while to heal, but it reminded me to be mindful of even the simplest actions, like how I move.”
In Jones’ book, which includes insights from various mothers of public figures that she collected over seven years, she also discusses experiencing “mom-guilt” while juggling motherhood and a career.
“If you’re raising kids, you’re likely familiar with this specific brand of stress. I don’t think any of us are exempt from it,” she wrote. “Working moms worry that their divided attention might negatively affect their children. Stay-at-home moms fret that their constant presence might have the same impact. It’s not that guilt is a constant companion, but there are inevitable moments when that sinking feeling arises, causing you to question your instincts, priorities, and self.”
Ultimately, Jones reached out to a friend who travels for work, who advised her not to “make a big deal” out of work trips.
“Hearing those words wasn’t easy, but my friend was right, and now I’m eager to share the same advice with friends who have younger kids. Just this week, a colleague confided her guilt over an upcoming trip,” she continued. “‘Stop the guilt!’ I told her. ‘They’re going to love spending time with Grandpa, and when they see it’s no big deal for you, they won’t feel as anxious either.’ I’ve officially become the wise ‘older mom’ I once needed.”
Through Mom’s Eyes is available now.
