On Being a Mom...

I found this article while surfing the news this morning. This article is a perfect example of why one should always read below the headlines. The headlines of this woman's personal essay are pretty inflammatory, but a lot of what she has to say I've heard and been a part of many conversations with other mothers.

Excuse me all to hell if I don't find all my fulfillment in life from being a mother. While it IS challenging, exciting, rewarding, heartbreaking and downright frustrating...it isn't all that I am. Motherhood is only one element of my life that I chose, work hard at and enjoy, but it's not everything.

I think that is all this woman is trying to say. Well, also that alot of Mom jobs are boring. She's right. I've complained (shocking I know!!) about the mundanity and repetitious loop of some of the things Moms do. I've been amongst a gaggle of other Moms when we are all chiming in with our least favorite Mom-related chores.

It's true!! Have you pureed food for an infant? It sucks!!! How jolly can you be at every child birthday party? Especially when you go to three in a row at Chuckee Cheese? Potty training...who wouldn't want to run screaming into the night? Number Two Son was 3 1/2 before he was potty trained and spoke in complete sentences. He just didn't want to wear underpants...he liked his diaper. I never had a problem reading to my children, but when I had to set aside 20 minutes for each one to read to me when they started learning to read at school, I thought I was going to go nuts. Night after night...it was hard to make the commitment and harder to sit through. I did it, for my kids, because I wanted them to read, love reading and be good learners, but it was deadening night after night to sit through.

So like I said. Read below the headlines. Is she inflammatory? Yes, but she makes some good points. I wouldn't NOT be a Mom for anything in the world. It's one wild ride. But it's not the only ride I get on.