Job Title
Sitting at a table of strangers at a wedding the inevitable "What do you do" question went around. Lot's of really interesting jobs were mentioned and then it was my turn. A sweet gal, who just finished telling me about her fancy job, asked me, "So what do YOU do." I kind of laughed and said, "I'm a mom". Her husband hollered out, "Oh, CRUISING!" which I took to mean he figured my days were spent relaxing with a tasty, umbrella adorned beverage in my hand. I chuckled. They didn't have any kids, so a large amount of grace was shown.
I've been getting this question a lot, maybe I'm meeting lots of new people which is awesome, and usually I get a similar reaction, and I'm here to say I'm fine with it. You know why? Because some people know from the time they are very young that they want to be a doctor when they grow up, and they grow up to be a paper pusher in a cubical. Some people say they want to be a teacher and they get very close to becoming one but they end up in an economic pit of despair and are sidelined for years. Some people want to become a lawyer so they work their tail off and actually pass the bar and marry late and have kids even later and then never get to see said kids because of crazy long work hours that never seem to taper. But me? I've always, always, always, wanted to get married and have kids. Since I was little that's been my dream job. And I get to do it, to the fullest extent of my job description, every single day.
Please don't misinterpret, this is not another "Stay at home moms work too!" blog. I think that's been pretty well established. I just want to offer that it's possible for "Mom" to be someone's dream job. It wasn't like I failed out of college and had nothing better to do. I didn't set out to be something else and then settled. When it was time to declare a major I simply couldn't find the "Domestic Engineering" option.
Maybe someday I'll add on another job title. How does "Sarah, Trader Joe's Aficionado" sound? In the meantime, maybe I'll whip up a name badge that reads, "Mom, 2004-forever."
I've been getting this question a lot, maybe I'm meeting lots of new people which is awesome, and usually I get a similar reaction, and I'm here to say I'm fine with it. You know why? Because some people know from the time they are very young that they want to be a doctor when they grow up, and they grow up to be a paper pusher in a cubical. Some people say they want to be a teacher and they get very close to becoming one but they end up in an economic pit of despair and are sidelined for years. Some people want to become a lawyer so they work their tail off and actually pass the bar and marry late and have kids even later and then never get to see said kids because of crazy long work hours that never seem to taper. But me? I've always, always, always, wanted to get married and have kids. Since I was little that's been my dream job. And I get to do it, to the fullest extent of my job description, every single day.
Please don't misinterpret, this is not another "Stay at home moms work too!" blog. I think that's been pretty well established. I just want to offer that it's possible for "Mom" to be someone's dream job. It wasn't like I failed out of college and had nothing better to do. I didn't set out to be something else and then settled. When it was time to declare a major I simply couldn't find the "Domestic Engineering" option.
Maybe someday I'll add on another job title. How does "Sarah, Trader Joe's Aficionado" sound? In the meantime, maybe I'll whip up a name badge that reads, "Mom, 2004-forever."
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