I chuckled and answered truthfully: "A businesswoman in a suit, high heels, and pantyhose"
My seven year old daughter looked at me with that inquisitive (I see right through you) look and said "I'm glad you're just a mom"
She didn't mean any disrespect at all and a seven year old saying 'just a mom' has a totally different meaning than when one of your peers says it. She's right though. Plain and simple, I'm just a mom to her. She hardly realizes that I work from home, manage our business, and she could care less about all the other things I do all day. She wouldn't mind if I ate bonbons and watched soap operas. She truthfully only cares about my role as a mom. As long as there is a snack after school, toilet paper in the bathroom, and clean clothes in her closet she is quite satisfied that I'm doing my job. In fact, if the snack consists of chocolate chip cookies, she may even give me a raise if this really were a paying job.
This is not the life I had in mind. I thought my kids would be most proud if I had a fancy title, high power job, and a juicy paycheck. Truth is, yoga pants are fine and it's not about the balance in the checking account, it's about the tickle fights on the living room floor. For those who chose to judge, bring it on. There is a milkstain on my left shoulder, a bit of granola bar in my hair, something sticky on my yoga pants, and my lipstick wore off hours ago (or did I even put it on today?), If those things bother you, I get it...they once bothered me too. My current bosses (there are 4 of them) don't seem to care about my outward appearance. They are nominating me for employee of the month just because I bought the right brand of cereal at the grocery store and promised popcorn before bed.
This may not be the life I had in mind, but it's the life God had planned for me and it is far more rewarding than anything I had ever dreamed!
Being a mom is hard work..........and not everyone woman who has children can do it or is good at it. You love your job and it loves you.....that is the most important part.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this post, Crystal! You said everything I feel everyday as "just a mom". There's definitely sacrifices, but the rewards far outweigh them. :-)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this post, Crystal! You said everything I feel everyday as "just a mom". There's definitely sacrifices, but the rewards far outweigh them. :-)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this post too, Crystal! Beautiful, well written, and poignant. I admire you so much for all you do as a mom and all you do for WOW as a blog tour manager, which is not easy work! You are fantastic and I'm lucky to work with you. Big hugs! <3
ReplyDeletevery good writing, says a lot about today's world.
ReplyDeleteit also says how happy you were when writing without saying it .
you always look well kept. ,clean and hair done, as a Mother of
four that says a lot about you.