Letters from NYC

The hardest job I've ever loved!

In my 20's, I always wondered if I was mother material. Kids were adorable and I enjoyed being around them, but I had goals, plans and a timetable to keep to, and raising good children came at the end of those plans.

It came at the end, because I knew that I would never willingly divide my time between career and motherhood. If I had to choose between the two, motherhood always won out.

In fact I had always planned on being home during the first 5 or 6 years of their life, and maybe, if I was really lucky, home school them through 3rd grade. Unfortunately, life has a way of making adjustments to life plans, without regard for timetables or goals. The blessing is that I did have the child, but with him came a whole new way of looking at this great big world we lived in.

Being a mom has been the hardest job I have ever had, but it's also the toughest job I've ever loved. In the role of mom I wear the subsidiary hats of domestic engineer, nurse, advisor, teacher, nutritionist, behavioral specialist, and travel companion, sometimes all in one day.

There are good and easy days, just as there are tough and bad days. The good days are marked with smiles, laughter, hugs and kisses, while the bad days are ones with frowns, tears, and sad faces.

What makes it all worthwile? The compensation! My compensation today is the smiles, laughter, hugs and kisses I receive when his life is good and happy. For they are what motivate me, when the tears and frowns appear; and they are my reward and incentive, when I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing.

The demands are great. The responsibilities many, and in the process of it all, I discovered that I'm more than equal for this job, and that I would not change a thing, even for all the gold and tea in China.

It turns out I am not unique. That's the thing about motherhood, it puts our roles and lives in perspective. One remarkable woman who is already exhibiting the wonderous and life altering change of creating life is Right Thinking Girl. I wish her and Z all the best and will continue to pray for all 3.

Posted by Michele at May 8, 2005 12:05 AM