I don’t want to be a Mom Boss

I don’t want to be a Mom Boss.

“Yeah Mom! You kept your operating budget for January!”

“We are so proud of you Mom for your ability to respond to emails in a timely manner-woohoo!”

“No one creates PowerPoint presentations quite like you, Mommy!”

My kids would never say these things – actually, nobody would say these to their Mom. I may be a full time working mom but guess what- that’s not at all what I want my kids to remember about me.

I’m blessed to be able to work around my kids’ schedule. I’ve reached a point in my life that I have intentionally chosen a job that would allow me flexibility to do so. Could I make more money doing something else? Probably. Is it more important at this stage of my children’s life that I be home more? Absolutely.

I didn’t get here overnight. I have a supportive husband and a great school network.

How did I arrive at this spot of a fairly normal work/life balance?

1. I was honest with my husband about my intentions. My husband and I both agreed that when we had children, one of us would be at home as much as possible. (He was a stay at home Dad for almost a year, – and he was amazing.) We had this discussion while we were engaged so there were no surprises when the kids finally arrived.
2. You have to be willing to sacrifice. I was the queen of coupons for years as well as a walking Yelp page of kids eat free nights. We hit up every park and took advantage of warm weather beach days. It can be done- but it’s not always easy. But I knew the sacrifice was worth it.
3. I stopped comparing my life to others. It’s easy to hop on Instagram and covet your internet friend’s new car or spring break vacation. The saying goes,” comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s easy to get caught up in what our lifestyle doesn’t allow us to do- but we as Moms need to stay laser-focused on what we are accomplishing for our family.

We only have 18 years with these little people and then we turn them over to the world. When you think of it that way, the sacrifices we are making seem minuscule. I doubt that any of us will have GIRL BOSS etched on our headstone. Most likely, it will say WIFE and MOTHER. I cannot think of two better titles than those to define me.