Work-at-home mom (WAHM) has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? You can be a mom AND continue to make money for the family. You’ve got the laundry and the laptop at your fingertips; the best of both worlds; a touch of green from both pastures.
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| Photo via va-mom.com |
A lot of moms ask me how I like it–half of them wishing for a day off to hang out with their kids; the other half of them wishing for a day off from their kids. I like to think that the grasses are not greener on either side of the fence; they are simply (wait for it…) different shades of green.
At one moment, I may be spending time with my kids (usually with my cattle prod in hand—herding them from one activity to the next). A moment later, I am fielding a call from someone who is penning his first novel and needs an editor yesterday. I suppose it is all part of my exhilarating, yet not-so-steamy love affair between mothering, part time work, and housekeeping (which always feels like the third wheel).
Writing and editing
provides me an oasis from the chaos that tends to follow kids everywhere they go. Sometimes I find myself hiding behind my work because it comes more naturally (not to mention it also comes with a paycheck)—relating all-too-well to one of Jodi Picoult’s characters from her gripping novel Nineteen Minutes when he asks , “If you were uncertain in the decisions you made as a father, could you patch over your insecurities with the confidence you had as a professional?”He brings up a good point, as sometimes I feel as though my “nurture gene” was lost along the way. If I’m being honest with myself, I have to admit that working from home (or Panera while sipping on a latte and soaking up the WIFI) is easier than getting down on my kid’s level, letting go of my worries, and simply playing sometimes. It’s easier to edit someone else’s words than constantly pick apart my own as I address my daughter or second guess yet another parenting decision. After eight years in the mothering business, I still feel like an amateur.
But despite all of the insecurities tied to motherhood, I’m slowly but surely learning to unplug and connect with my kiddos while I’ve still got them herded. After all, the grass may not be greener on either side, but only one will leave a lush legacy.
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Tags: Freelance Friday
