ca·reer
kəˈri(ə)r/
noun
- 1.an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.
synonyms: profession, occupation, job, vocation, calling, employment, line, line of work, walk of life, métier More
verb
- 1.move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way in a specified direction."the car careered across the road and went through a hedge"
- From Google
I think motherhood is more a verb. Next week is spirit week at the kids school. Aliza told her friends she wanted to be a mom. They told her that wasn't a career. When we got home I looked it up on google and yes it is a career. So question how does one dress-up as a mom? I am thinking about hanging twenty signs on her, maybe as necklaces naming various occupations that a mom does.
I love this video from Elder Holland especially the family prayer scene. It's very real!
We discussed one of the myths of motherhood on Sunday.
"Mom's don't need education. it's a waste to not use your degree and just be a mom." Was the challenge I posed, one similar to the observation my graduate professor shared with me while in graduate school- I shouldn't be wasting my time training you as a researcher, you're not going to use it just being a mom...-
I asked my kids what they thought of this.
John first spoke up "That's dumb, moms need to be smart to teach their children."
Aliza " What if her husband is rancher and needs help with the books, then she can teach him, or do them."
My heart burst with pride for my wise children. I told them of Brigham Young's statement that if given a choice he would educate the mothers because they teach the children.
My degrees are not on my walls, they are not something I talk about much in daily conversation. They are part of my past, part of my foundation, part of my formative years. They are part of how I parent and interact with others. They helped prepare me for my career. How thankful I am to be irreplaceable, not subject to outsourcing, and in high demand.
And if you haven't seen it on facebook this post Wormwood style from a much more humble and discerning woman was very poignant thinking piece I read tonight The Unappreciated Mom
Along those lines, be sure the Mother starts to value productivity above everything else. Have her wake up early and work non-stop until bedtime. If the husband relaxes in the evening with an hour of computer gaming, be sure the wife notices the pile of unfolded laundry or un-swept floors. Do not let her grab a book and relax alongside her husband. Diligence, often one of the Enemy’s virtues, when overdone can be used to our advantage as well. Convince her that as long as there is a shred of work to be done (and there always is), no one should be resting. Then, as she folds and sweeps and he sits, you can introduce the sweet bitterness of resentment.
And about mothering
Instead, draw attention to how much they take from her. Let them take and take and take… And need and need and need, until the Mother feels totally spent. Let them start crying at the same time for the most irrational of reasons. Let the noise bother her. Let their bad behavior surprise her. Do your best to make the day-to-day monotony of diaper changes, meals, and baths seem simultaneously overwhelming and beneath her. Let her think of all the better, more important things she could be doing with her life, if only she didn’t have the children.Don’t let her think about the future responsible, faithful adults she is raising. Society changers, friends, workers, husbands or wives… Don’t let her think of them as life-long companions who will love her, converse with her, and care for her in her old age. Oh, and definitely don’t let her think about the grandchildren she might be able to see in their little grubby faces if she looked hard enough now. No, no, no… Thinking ahead to when her work bears fruit, as the Enemy calls it, is always a bad idea. Keep words like ‘heritage’ or ‘legacy’ far away from the runny noses and jelly stains of the day to day.
After a very long day in the trenches trying to be productive. Thank goodness for refocusing and tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment