Here’s to all the women who had to reinvent themselves professionally after dedicating their career to raising children and running a home. And yes, it is a career. If you’ve done it, you know.
• Managing multiple schedules and appointments.
• Meal planning, shopping, and preparing, and cleaning up.
• Laundry. More laundry. And more laundry.
• Being a taxi driver– often at the drop of a hat.
• Endless phone calls with insurance companies, tech support, maintenance companies…
• Filling out forms. And more forms.
• Doctors, dentists, hair cuts, clothes shopping.
• Sports, activities, sleepovers, birthday parties.
• Preparing for holidays and special occasions. (No one else does it!)
• Cleaning up after said occasions.
• Daily pet care. Annual pet care.
• Vomit, poop, runny noses, bloody knees.
• Emotional support. Dropping everything to listen when they are hurting.
• Character development. Being present.
• Teaching time management, responsibility, and good stewardship.
• Conflict resolution. More conflict resolution.
These are just some examples of what mothers do for their children– not an exhaustive list by any means. And this doesn’t even begin to venture into the territory of self-care or responsibilities as a spouse or partner. For that, compound the list multiple times.
Now, imagine after years of helping others live their best lives, you are suddenly spit into the big void of the world as a single person and responsible for earning an income to support you and your children.
It is frightening as hell. Your skill sets don’t perfectly line up with the linear career paths that people easily recognize. Computer algorithms indifferently scan your resume and LinkedIn profile to quantify if you are worthy of making it to a human being’s attention. After being the heart of a family, it can feel like being cast into a void where the universe just careens past you without a second thought.
Where do you fit in? Who are you professionally? What are you “qualified” to do for work? Will anyone take you seriously?
Perhaps you are not only dealing with this disorientation but also the shock of losing someone who you thought was your life partner. It’s a lot to handle. And our society is not ready yet to fully honor and embrace women who find themselves in this position.
But guess what? You did it. I did it too. We made it or are making it. That’s what we do.
And you are a badass, mothertruckin’ FORCE OF NATURE.
Happy Mother’s Day to YOU.
The fire in me honors the fire in you.
Namaste and slay the day!