Friday, February 5, 2010

Motherhood for Dummies, 1st edition

So, as I look off into the horizon and see my new career swiftly rushing towards me a ton of new thoughts, feelings, and questions begin to choke me. The first is...
What will I be called? For the past 15 years being a working woman, my title has always been my identity. I refuse to label myself a 'homemaker, domestic manager, full time mom (because I'm that already) or (gasp) housewife'. I think I'll refer to myself as an 'Exclusive Mother'.
Now as I look into the mirror I begin to wonder,"Just who is this woman?" As I just mentioned, my title has been my identity. It has given me purpose and fulfillment and has crafted the majority of my waking moments. Who will I be now? I recently was discussing my anxiety over my career change with another lifelong working mom. I said,"I'm having a hard time grasping this transition. One day I am wearing suits and heels and giving presentations to CEOs and Vice Presidents, and the next day I'm wearing sweats and wiping butts." She replies,"Well, you can wear your blazers and heels with jeans and be the most fashionable mommy at playgroup." Not exactly the support I was looking for.
And then I think about, how do I become this mommy-person? For those of you who have always been Exclusive Mothers, I imagine this would be something engrained in you. For me, I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do all day? Now, this is coming from someone who has worked a full day and then squeezed all of the household needs into the 3 remaining hours in the evening between her bedtime and mine. What will I do with her all day? How do you 'play' all day long? Am I supposed to be teaching her something? And, will I have to enroll in a 12 Step program to detach my laptop from my fingertips where it's been lodged for the past 8 years. My day-to-day has always been dictated by someone else's timeline, schedule, and needs. Will I be able to feel fulfilled and accomplished as a person and not just as a mom?

Ok, well, obviously I don't have any of the answers to these questions now. Hopefully I'll be able to go back and answer them as the Lord and I figure out just what the heck I'm doing. For the record, it is no fair to throw me into a brand new job with no employee orientation... I'm just saying...

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