Nearly nine years ago now, shortly after becoming a mom, I wrote and pitched an article to a local editor about the mommy wars. "I'm so over the mommy wars," she wrote back. "Send me something different."
And so I did. Something oozing with mommy and love and warmth. I ignored the feelings of angst in my belly and wrote what she wanted.
We could talk about mommy wars all day, all night. There's the natural childbirth vs. the cesarean moms, the bottle vs. the breastfed, the home-schooled vs. the public-schooled and, alas, the working vs. the stay-at-home mom.
I long ago said I never felt like I fit in any of these categories. Sure, I spent many a year home with my babies. ECFE classes, playgroups and meandering Target trips made the days pass quicker than I would have liked. I loved the gift of time I've enjoyed with my babies. But while I loved not having a boss -- well, aside from my children -- or a workplace to attend each day, I missed working. So I wrote.
I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. On blogs and websites and publications. Anyone who'd publish me, I took them up on it. It fulfilled me in a way that my babies just didn't.
Writing was therapeutic for me as I coped with the loss of my mom, dealt with toddlers and the transition to preschool. I worked out all the miscellaneous ideas I had running amok in my head.
Writing and keeping up with professional connections has worked for me. I've been able to "have my cake and eat it, too." Or so I've been told.
Each and every day is a juggle. Let me repeat: Each and every day is a juggle.
But for me this is a choice I am making and one I gladly make. It's worth it to me. I love that I get to see my kids off to school each morning and am waiting for them after school. I love that I still get to take ECFE with my littlest. I love spending summers traveling and adventuring with them. But I also love that I have a professional life aside from them. Maybe that's not you. Or maybe it is. No matter, I trust that you are making the best choice for your life.
Last spring, after a terribly full week, another mom at a school event said to me, "You're so busy. Do you ever see your kids anymore?" And after we got in the car, I clenched my husband's hand and bawled my eyes out. "People think I'm a terrible mother," I confessed.
But somehow I realized later that the only terrible mothers are the ones saying stupid stuff like that. Kidding. Kind of.
Last week, author Brittany Gibbons wrote her rant about all this on Facebook and it went viral quickly. Clearly, she struck a nerve that lots of moms can relate with.
Just so you know, my husband has yet to be asked where his children are while he's at work, in meetings or while traveling. Ahem.
This is what I know: At the end of the day, my children will never question my love. I tell them on a daily basis I will always be their biggest fan. I am a good mom. Those I work for and with will never question my commitment or professionalism, even if it means a chatty 2-year-old interjecting in the background while we chat. I am a good worker.
I will continue to choose to pursue what works best for me knowing the above is true.
Every day I wake up and make the choices that are worth it to me. Please don't make me or any other moms who are juggling prove why their choices are worth it to you, too.
