DrPepperOkie
May 18th 06, 05:17 AM
What Will I Be?
By Cheryl Kremer
After twenty years of working full-time, I found myself with an
opportunity to quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom. As I faced this
decision, I felt the stirrings of longing to be more of a mother than a
career woman. My seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son had grown up
in the daycare system since they were both six-weeks old. At the time, I
never felt any regret in handing my children over to them each morning. I
had a great job that I loved and had worked my way up to being the Assistant
to the Vice-President of Sales at an Internet company.
I decided to resign and begin my new job as a full-time mom, but it
felt strange to lose this part of my identity. The first time I needed to
fill out an application for online banking, I came to the line that asked my
occupation. I stared at it, not wanting to write "N/A." Ultimately, I
threw the application away, rather than label myself as a "non-worker." I
continued to struggle with this feeling.
However, after a few months of waiting at the bus stop, volunteering in
the classroom, and making good dinners, I began to get into the whole idea.
My daughter was in school, but my son Cobi was with me all day. For the
first time in his life, I was all his. We rollerbladed, took walks, played
soccer and made crafts. He thrived on this alone time with me and I began
to see what I had missed.
One day as we kicked the ball in the park, Cobi looked up at me and
said, "Mommy, do you know what I want to be when I grow up?"
"A professional soccer player?" I asked.
"No," he smiled at me. "I want to be a stay-at-home mom." My heart melted.
I've never looked back since.
By Cheryl Kremer
After twenty years of working full-time, I found myself with an
opportunity to quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom. As I faced this
decision, I felt the stirrings of longing to be more of a mother than a
career woman. My seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son had grown up
in the daycare system since they were both six-weeks old. At the time, I
never felt any regret in handing my children over to them each morning. I
had a great job that I loved and had worked my way up to being the Assistant
to the Vice-President of Sales at an Internet company.
I decided to resign and begin my new job as a full-time mom, but it
felt strange to lose this part of my identity. The first time I needed to
fill out an application for online banking, I came to the line that asked my
occupation. I stared at it, not wanting to write "N/A." Ultimately, I
threw the application away, rather than label myself as a "non-worker." I
continued to struggle with this feeling.
However, after a few months of waiting at the bus stop, volunteering in
the classroom, and making good dinners, I began to get into the whole idea.
My daughter was in school, but my son Cobi was with me all day. For the
first time in his life, I was all his. We rollerbladed, took walks, played
soccer and made crafts. He thrived on this alone time with me and I began
to see what I had missed.
One day as we kicked the ball in the park, Cobi looked up at me and
said, "Mommy, do you know what I want to be when I grow up?"
"A professional soccer player?" I asked.
"No," he smiled at me. "I want to be a stay-at-home mom." My heart melted.
I've never looked back since.