Just like all children, Mothers are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are all different, and I am blessed that I have a village of Moms that understand each other’s differences and support one another through them. Through shared stories, we find similarities and can relate and empathize. We find ourselves living through the beautiful mess of our lives and trying to make sense of what yesterday had to offer.
I’m going through a mom-challenge, that of the working mom. How women do this is a feat to me! Reminding myself to wake up an extra hour earlier than usual because I have to get this tired-self presentable AND my son ready for the day as well. Nights look different as well as I put my son down to bed, I stay up a couple more hours to make sure that I have prepped everything I possibly can for tomorrow, including putting water in the coffee maker and cleaning bottles for my son to take for the next day. Meals are also a challenge which are fixed by the ever-amazing crock-pot. I think it must have been a mom that saw the need and created this blessed appliance!

For the first four months of my son’s life I was able to be a stay at home mom. I am thankful for this time yet am excited to start teaching again. I didn’t think that I would be so emotional and torn the first day of work; crying myself to sleep that night. I was worried about leaving my son in a daycare, would they take care of him the way that I do? Is he being loved? Are they wiping his nose and making his bottles like I do? This constant worry is something that I will have to learn to communicate as well as let go. Some people may think that I’m being a fanatical, overbearing, first-time mom; I’ll take that title as long as I know that my son is being well-taken care of.

Talking to the principle at our school about crying over leaving my son in daycare, the principle shared that the feeling never goes away. He shared that after dropping off his daughter to college, he cried for hours. I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one.

I am blessed to have the last four months at home with my son, spending our late mornings listening to him giggle and watching him grow. Being a stay at home mom is a full-time job and one that I was happy to accomplish! Now I’m preparing for the next stage in our families lives; going back to work as a teacher.

Over the past couple of days I’ve learned to be forgiving of working moms. It’s a daunting task that a lot of us must do. It’s heart wrenching to leave your children but in the end hopefully fulfilling to work on your career and be a mom. There’s a fine balance at living these two lives harmoniously and hopefully I’ll find it soon.