You’d become, a stay-at-home, full-time mother now, translated…
At the end of April, with the support from my family, I’d sent in my resignation, and terminated my ten years’ worth of teaching post in a private school, and focused on my given work—being a mother. I have this perfectionist tendency at work, and toward the office work in school, my growth as a school instructor, an assortment of issues from the students, as well as their parents, whatever I can, I’d helped; I’d always been proud, that an employee like me, is truly, very difficult to find.
Until other equally important, if not more so milestones of my life hit me, marriage, and after I’d had my daughter, I’d started wondering: does having an excellent teaching record go with my duties as my child’s mother? The answer was, negative.
seeing her chlid to schoool every morning, kissing her goodbye…not my photograph…
Late in the nights of this past decade, I’d received calls from drunk parents, inquiring about their marital issues; as I was six months into my pregnancy, my father clearly stated to the parents, that I wasn’t feeling well, needed rest, and yet, the parent on the other end of the line still insisted on talking to me, for me, to help her daughter sort through the issues of her puberty; as my son finally fell asleep from his high fever, the school’s enrollment offices phoned me up, to question me about how enrollment is going.
I deeply believe, that there’s a huge group of people, who were once, or are currently, struggling, to balance out these conflicting roles they took up in their lives, but felt helpless to change it. Some of my coworkers learned that I’d sent in my resignation, the first thing they’d asked was, “Will you have any money troubles? Wouldn’t you have acted, a bit too, impulsively?” Perhaps, it’s exactly how I saw too many parents, working too hard, sending their young to private schools, they’d started equating the responsibilities to raising children with how much money they’d put in to invest in their children’s lives; in order to make more money, they’d lengthened their work hours; and because they’d spent the money, so, accompanying the children as they age became the responsibilities of school teachers; in order to make more money, the parents had, lengthened their workhours, naturally, they’d lacked the time to watch over their young. My fears for this vicious cycle grows by the day.
It isn’t that I’m braver, for making this decision, it’s because being there for your young is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and, how much is put into raising your young, only you would know. All of these, can’t be traded with the first, second, third, nth million dollars you’d earned.
these years of youth are, irresplaceable…not my photograph…
This morning, as I nudge my daughter’s face to wake her up, she’d asked me expectantly, “Mommy, are you taking me to school today?” “You know I am!”, I’d answered her in an affirmative tone. Watching how hard she was fighting off the sleeping bugs, then, running into the bathrooms to get washed up, that look of satisfaction on her face, I know, that this is the right decision I’d made.
So, this is still all about priorities. This mother knew that her child comes first before anything else, which was why she’d not minded, quitting her job and stayed at home as a stay-at-home mom, and, she doesn’t feel like she’s sacrificing her career, because she knew that her daughter is the very TOP of her priorities, and nothing is more important compared to being right there next to her child, as she grows up.
Life, the Obstacle Course 