I remember not to many years ago when a younger friend of mine was graduating asking a teacher what the graduate planned to pursue in terms of a career. The teacher let out a little sigh and said, "Oh she just wants to get married and be a mom."
At the time I was neither married or a mother, but I do remember saying, "Well that seems like a decent choice." But her teacher still wished she would have gone to college to pursue some type of skill or career.
This isn't an anti-college post by any means. I teach several courses at a local Bible College so I'd be foolish if it was, but honestly, what's so bad with knowing as a teenager that you desire to be a full time stay at home mother one day.
When I was a High School Senior I competed in a "Scholarship Program." You southerners will know that's code for Beauty pageant. In the interview process when the panel asked me what I planned to do as a career, my answer was well I'll work after I get out of college, but I really want to raise my family full time. I could tell immediately by their faces this was not the answer they were looking for. A few of them didn't even bother to hide looks of shock.
That was probably the last time I ever mentioned out loud my true desire was to raise a family full-time. When everyone asked me over the course of the next year what I planned on doing with my future, I told them I wanted to become a music teacher.
So I went off to college and got a major or two, which I certainly don't regret. In fact my education has enabled me to work a very part time job that pays very well for the amount of hours I'm out of the home. (Only 4 a week including commute). It's also enabled me to share my expertise by way of this blog and eBooks, which do bring in little money for our family (which is a huge blessing.)
Even though I always knew in the back of my mind I wanted to be a stay at home mother I still wasn't prepared for the reality. Oh how God has worked in my life since becoming a mother.
I found a new blog, Sharing Grace, and she shares very similar thoughts in her post "Why I'm Not Lucky to Be a Stay at Home Mom." She writes:
"It was during this first year of being a mom that He began to break, to mold, to chisel, to refine me in ways I did not think possible. If I was going to be a mom, a good mom, I had to change. I had to learn to live day-by-day and hour-by-hour with never ending neediness and no one to lift or relieve me of that need. I needed to learn to meet needs with kindness, with love, with patience. I needed to choose to be joyful when all I felt was failure."
I encourage you to read the rest here. It is a fabulous post.
And by the way, I'll be officially announcing things next week, but you can go now and take a peak at the new book store, if you want : ) 5 books are now available in PDF and 3 are in print!
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