First Weeks as a "Working Mom"

First of all, let me just say how much I hate that term--"Working Mom." It implies that moms who don't work outside the home don't work at all. Anyone who's spent more than a few hours caring for a young child knows that that's not true.

My transition to the working world has been challenging for everyone. My daughter has been in daycare for two full days every week. Mondays are the worst. It breaks my heart to wake her up early after a relaxing family weekend so my husband and I can run around like maniacs trying to get her out the door. I can tell it's stressful for her too, but at least she gets to ride with Daddy in the morning, which is more than she usually gets to see of him.

The new work schedule has thrown me a bit off course. It's become more challenging to squeeze in a workout in the morning on work days. Luckily, because my schedule is flexible, I was able to push back my start time in the morning to hopefully accommodate a bit of exercise. I've also been trying to find ways to keep things interesting. I've joined the online community at Tone It Up and have big plans for the last three weeks of my 5k training to increase my speed and really push myself.

Here's hoping things continue to go smoothly as new challenges arise!

Occupational Identity Crisis

While registering for a doctor's appointment I had a few weeks ago, the receptionist asked me my occupation. For some reason, without hesitation, I told her that I am a stay-at-home mom. The last time I was asked this question was when my husband and I were getting our marriage license. At that point, I told the clerk that I was an attorney. Since then, I have had at least two other conversations pertaining to my employment status. When a personal banker noticed that I did not have a job title associated with my account, he stumbled over the fact that he'd almost said I was unemployed and instead referred to me as a 'household manager.' Another doctor asked me if I was working and when I told him I take care of my daughter, he asked how old she was and then commented, 'So you do work as an attorney then!'

The difficulty in defining my occupation has become all the more difficult now that I accepted a job with the organization I've been volunteering for for the past few months. The hours are incredibly flexible, so I can work as much or as little as I want, provided that I am still providing competent representation to my clients. So does that mean I am attorney on the days I am in the office and a mom on every other day? Or am I an attorney in the same way that I am always a mom? How much can a job define who we are as people? I've said before that I feel there is a sense of pride associated with receiving a paycheck, but I'm coming to realize that there can be just as much pride in the work involved in raising a child. After all, it is the toughest job in the world.