This morning as I was doing about 5 things at one time...making breakfast, getting lunches put together, helping kids get dressed, reminding people to brush teeth, etc... Rebecca made the comment, "You do a lot of stuff." I was impressed that she noticed. I was then shocked when she asked, "Would you rather have a job or be a mom?" I laughed a little at first because she has no idea how much WORK it is to be a mom. There is no clock to punch or no paycheck every other week but any mom knows that work it is...but it is work that we do without thinking or without grudge....and without thinking about it as "work". Any other "job" that came into our bedroom in the middle of the night just to tell us they were having trouble sleeping would annoy us to no end. However, in our "job" of motherhood, we get up, walk them back to bed, say a prayer, sing a song, do whatever it takes to ensure our little one is comforted (even if that means eventually having them crawl into our bed and having a very uncomfortable few hours of sleep). I did remind her that I do "work" that does generate income and that lots of moms do work and are still moms...but that wasn't what her heart was asking. She wanted confirmation that I enjoyed being her mom above all else. On very crazy, busy days, I am confident that it would be easier (and much more lucrative) to have a 40 hour a week job where I went to an office at 8:00 and left the work there at 5:00; however, yes Rebecca...given the choice and knowing what I know now...I would make the same decision today that I made almost 10 years ago...I'd choose to be a mom.
