In the past couple of years I have often said – I am JUST a mom when asked what I do for a living.
I am not sure why, but JUST a mom always crossed my lips first. Maybe I felt inferior. Maybe I felt judged. I don’t know.
It was not until I was in a Bible study one day that these words uttered about myself seemed to offend.
JUST a mom someone remarked?
That’s a pretty big job to say JUST.
In defense I said, well I know it is a lot of work and I know I do other things on the side, but I guess I always saw myself as doing something important or making a difference in the world – I don’t know – I guess I just went to college and gave up on the idea that all I wanted to do in life was get married and have kids. I started to dream about all the possibilities and now that I am a mom I just feel like all those dreams I created are never going to happen.
I still did not get where this other mom was going. I was blind.
I don’t remember her exact words but the sentiment was that being a mom IS the most important job I will ever hold. I am molding the lives of three people. Three people who will also have the potential to affect other lives and change this world for the better. I am not JUST a mom – I am a mom and I should be proud of saying that is what I do rather than downplaying it as something that has caused me to give up on my dreams.
It really took awhile for this all to sink in.
When people ask me what I have been up to – I say running and kids. Really there isn’t much else to my life on a day to day basis other than things that related to running or somehow relate to my kids. I don’t find this sad. My life is filled with things and people I love. What more can I ask in life? Material possessions will fade and a promotion at work won’t matter in heaven. Raising my children to be the best they can be while being able to do something I love [running] sounds like a great life to me.
I no longer say I am JUST a mom. I am A MOM and I’m proud of it – it truly is the BEST and HARDEST job in the world [only took me 5 years to figure this out].
I still have dreams, they are just new ones and I’d venture to say they are bigger and better than the ones I had in college.
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| Eating *healthy* before stuffing his face with cake |
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| The joy of being 1!! |
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| Happy Happy Birthday Boy |
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