Making the Most of the Minutes

One of the things that's often mentioned as a benefit of being a working mother is that you don't get sick of your kid(s) the way stay-at-home moms apparently do upon occasion. It makes sense, I guess -- if you're doing something all day, every day, it's going to wear on you at a certain point, no matter how cute and talented the something is. But as a working mommy, the time I spend with my offspring is both limited and precious. And so there's the desire to make the minutes count, which in turn leads to a real sense that the time I'm spending with Toddler Metropolitan is of a high quality.

My own mother didn't work during my childhood, and I think it would have benefited her to do so. Not only would it have been helpful in keeping her nose out of every iota of my business (which is another issue entirely), but I think she would have been much happier during the time she was spending with me and my sibling. I remember a lot of hassling and aggravating and not a lot of time spent just hanging out and enjoying each other's company -- because, frankly, we didn't find each other's company terribly enjoyable. I keep my mental fingers crossed regularly that my relationship with my daughter will not develop along those lines. And I suspect and hope that having my own life outside the home will help to keep our relationship vibrant and loving even when I am no longer the epicenter of my daughter's world. (Sniffle.)

So when I feel inclined to complain about my work situation -- which these days is quite often -- I am acutely aware that it's not the fact of being employed that's bothering me, but rather the circumstances of my particular employment situation. The goal is to find a way to be happy and content in both my professional and my personal life, not to entirely sacrifice the former for the latter.