On the Clock

I've heard and read a lot about the difference between stay at home moms and working moms and I've come to the conclusion that we, as mothers, are all "working moms." Some mothers have "second jobs" but our children come first no matter what, and that is certainly no nine-to-five. We are on the clock every minute of every day until our dying breath... and then some.

I didn't know what a full time job was until I had a baby. I've worked, and I've worked HARD. Ask anyone I've worked with over the past five years. I have happy, successful staff and sales numbers to prove it. I have a house, a happy savings account, and a new car, and more techie devices than anyone needs. None of what I've earned from working a full time job even remotely compares to the earth shattering joy of parenthood. And I suppose that is a good thing because this job doesn't pay sh*t. But it doesn't matter. Mothers work for free and we're more than cool with that because when our babies smile at us we feel like a million bucks.

"On the clock until our dying breath... and then some..."

That's heavy. I didn't feel the weight of that idea until our daughter was here and in my arms. I'll be honest, I've had mixed emotions about it. I've had tiny panic attacks thinking I'll never be able to rest again, or have my own life. I'll never be able to go to bed at night without thinking of my child and her well-being. I'll wake in the middle of the night to check to make sure she's still breathing until the day she moves out of our house, and then after that I'll probably set up spy cams at her place or call and wake her up just to be 100% sure. When I die, my stubborn self will figure out a way to check in on her. I'll never rest comfortably again.

While the reality is heavy it's also an incredible honor. How lucky am I to be able to experience the love and responsibility that comes with having a child? It's hard work and often no one sees the blood, sweat, and buckets of tears we shed while on the job. Whether we are categorized as "working moms" or "stay at home moms," we are all on the clock, all of the time, and now that they exist in the world we wound't have it any other way.