If you've ever wondered whether practicing law is more interesting and fulfilling than driving kids to the orthodontist, take a look at Moms Who Won't Quit on The Careerist.
My kids asked me once why I wasn't a "real mom." I answered that if I stayed home all day, I'd vacuum holes in the rugs, alphabetize all their books, and stack their toys by color and size. I kept my day job and we all got by.
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I don't know if that article answers the question of whether practicing law is more interesting and fulfilling than driving kids to school, but it does raise some interesting points. In particular, this line struck me: "Raising children has become a bit of a drag, if not a modern form of slavery, according to some recent articles."
Ouch. I am new to parenting, but my sense is that the "drag" comes from setting unreasonable expectations on oneself and on the children. We cannot have it all.
I believe that every family needs to make the decision about parenting and careers based on their own particular needs. It just seems hard to quiet the voices on the outside. Debra Condren, author of Ambition is Not a Dirty Word, says women face an impossible double standard. "[Society says] we're bad mothers if we go back to work and that we're pampered or foolish if we stay home."
Maybe we (those who experience the conflict) would be happier in our chosen roles if we were more grateful for what we have and the choices we are privileged to make? Perhaps gratitude would breed contentment and, thereby, a sense of fulfillment.
"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." ~Thornton Wilder
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