As we approach Mother’s Day, we’d like to take time to honor women who inspire the House of Herrera. The Carolina Herrera woman is bold, independent, and lives life with laughter and a wink in her eye. Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Bosh, a Miami-based creative and mother of five. When she isn’t updating her site, Sparkle and Sunshine, or networking with other inspiring women, Adrienne chases joy with her party of six: husband Chris Bosh, daughters Trinity and Dylan, son Jackson, and twins Phoenix Avery and Lennox Noel.
CH: What does motherhood mean to you?
AB: A mother’s love is unconditional and eternal. When you become a mother, the universe cracks wide open and you are no longer at the center of it. Instead, you offer that center to your children. Motherhood taught me how wise nature is because the bond between mothers and children is simply instinctual, natural, and unbreakable.
Motherhood has also taught me how to live in the moment. Despite the chaos, especially as a mother of 5, at the end of the day when I’m with my kids in bed during story time, there is just this sense of peace, calm, and belonging. My children have taught me how important it is that I’m fully present with them. Presence is a language and energy they innately understand. There is this magic that children have in their ability to live in the present. We, as adults, can take a note on this from them! They aren’t thinking about yesterday or worrying about tomorrow, they are just purely in the moment, chasing joy, and there is something really beautiful about that.
CH: What is the best wisdom your mother gave you?
AB: My mother always taught me about choosing your battles wisely with children. As mothers, we want to raise our kids with integrity. We are matriarchs, role models, and sources of strength. We are also the judge and the jury a lot of the time. My mother taught me to focus my energy on the larger scale lessons, and when not to sweat the small stuff. I never try to “micromanage” their emotions, I assess every situation to decide what’s really important and when I need to stand my ground.
I love gardening, and I find gardening as a metaphor for motherhood. My grandmother taught me about gardening early on in life. She grew up growing most of her own food in Kentucky since she comes from a big family (she’s one of eleven!). They canned all of their own veggies for the winter. She taught me about the power of making hay while the sun was shining. With her, I learned many lessons about the divine timing of nature. I learned about planting seeds with intention, watering them, making sure they had ample sunlight, and having patience while they blossomed according to their own natural cycles. I learned that you can’t rush a harvest, and you can’t push the seeds you planted to grow faster. You have to have faith in nature’s own rhythm, and trust that you will receive the bounty.
I was struck by how much motherhood is like a garden. Both require a lot of planning and intention, both demand a lot of time and energy, and both return great rewards. You can’t rush your children, as they will blossom at their own pace. You have to have patience, nurture them, feed their souls, and watch them grow. You have to hold faith and trust in your heart and lean into the divine timing of nature.
CH: When did motherhood hit you?
AB: Most people don’t know that I’m a Bonus Mom to our daughter Trinity, who I met while she was still on the bottle (and now she’s almost taller than me). As a bonus mom, we get our children in lots of different ways: adoption, divorce, or the loss of a parent. However, that doesn’t change the commitment we have made to love them, to teach them, and to be a nurturing presence for them. Watching her grow into a beautiful young lady has been an absolute treasure to me.
Trinity opened my eyes and my heart to the world of motherhood. Raising her made my husband and I more excited for the future of having more children together, and that started with my son Jackson. I had Jackson 7 years ago, and I felt a level of unconditional love that I have never known when I looked down at my son for the first time and held him in my arms. I was flooded with that feeling, it was fierce, instinctual, and one of the most powerful emotions I have ever felt. Motherhood brings you to your knees, it made me feel elated and exhausted and also completely human at the same time. It makes you see that there’s no ideal – motherhood is a constant struggle, it’s the ultimate compromise, and the strongest energetic force I have ever experienced.
With all of my children, motherhood presents a new journey. I had children before many of my girlfriends, and my life completely changed. Becoming a mother is often like drawing a line in the sand, learning new boundaries and becoming completely unavailable to other people’s negativity and judgment. Not all of my children were easy births, and in fact, with my twins, I had a really difficult pregnancy and postpartum depression. It was a long recovery. I recently opened up about it on my IG Stories and was floored by how many women wrote to me with similar experiences, feeling alone and lost and isolated, of being judged by other women who told them to “get it together” when they were healing on both a physical and emotional level.
Motherhood presents a sacrifice, but it’s ultimately the best sacrifice. I always remember that struggle is temporary, and the reward of getting to raise and love your babies is the ultimate prize.
CH: What’s one lesson you hope to pass down to your children?
AB: I am raising my children to be vulnerable and brave enough to fully embrace who they are wholeheartedly. I have 5 children, and every single one of them has such a unique personality that is so different from the next. I never want to be the parent who tries to compare, criticize, or judge my children. I realize that our voice as parents can become their internal voice, so I am careful with my words around them. I approach them with empowering, affirming language. It’s extremely important to me that they embrace self-love and self-acceptance. Above all things, I want to raise my children to have strong self-esteem, empathy, and compassion for both themselves and others. My job is to cultivate their creativity, encourage them to express themselves, and help them to navigate their individual curiosities. I encourage them to be kind, generous, and grateful kids.
I also travel often with my children, because I think it’s really important for them to gain an appreciation for different cultures and people all over the world. My intention is to raise them with their hearts wide open, with the willingness to embrace adventure.
Teaching Dylan self-love
CH: How do you balance your career with being a mom?
AB: I love that my children get to see their Mommy creating content that empowers women. I love raising them with an awareness to give back with every opportunity. I have made it a point to bring my daughters to girl power events, earlier this year we went to see Michelle Obama speak and we hosted Hilary Clinton in our home for a fundraiser. Having my children see women in a position of power and acting as catalysts of change is very important to me. I try to include my kids in my work whenever possible, from attending these events to creating content for platforms that I feel are empowering. Work for me isn’t portrayed as an energy that’s “taking away” from my time with my kids, but instead, I’ve created an environment where my kids can be part of my work. They’re encouraged to ask questions about my work and contribute to my work. That is how I find the best balance. I love that my kids will only know a mother that works hard for what she believes in.
Photographer Credit: Kaleena Thompson
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