After dealing personally with the Swine Flu, and yet another terrible bout of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), this momma started slipping into depression and found herself reviewing her calling.
Motherhood is an on-going never ending job that is more demanding than residency for a surgeon, and more satisfying than tending to the gardens at a Versailles. However, what is yet more amazing, is that mothers frequently work with half their mind compromised, and half their body paralyzed by illness or fatigue.
I asked a few mothers I know how often they "mother" with all their health, time, energy, and mental tranquility at "optimum" level. The answer on average was less than two-thirds of the time. That's 66% of the time. Some answered "less than 50%" of the time.
Now the question is if you were an employer and interviewing for a secretary, would you hire someone who can only commit to being "present and focused" 66% of the time?
Why then do we compromise this most sacred of callings?
The answer is...because that is our 100%. If we wait for a time in life when we can give 100% of ourselves to motherhood, no one would have children. There will be days that we have to work late, even if we are working from home. There will be days when dinner is apple sauce and peanut butter sandwiches. There will be days when we have to throw all the laundry "mixed-in" together, just to get it done. There will be days when checking their homework was just noting they put their name on it and wrote some answer in. There will be days when you lie in bed with a fever and no voice, yet trying to settle arguments about who does what chore while mom is sick.
But there will never be a day we didn't love them all, and would do it all over again just to see the beautiful peaceful contented face they have while they sleep quietly after another day we "mothered" with only 66% accuracy.
For more questions and more parenting tips write to z.eugenia@hotmail.com .