Is there such a thing? A great friend who is expecting her first child told me that her husband thinks she is going to be a professional mother just like me. (she is going to be a great mom and hopefully not too much like me....there is much I should improve on) But this got me thinking....can one be a professional mother? It also made me think of a clip from my favorite tv show (which I share at the end of this post).
So I found the good ole' Webster's Dictionary and looked up the definitions of both words. It turns out you can be a professional mother. Here are the definitions....
Definition of PROFESSIONAL
1
a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession
b : engaged in one of the learned professions
c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace
2
a : participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs <a professional golfer>
b : having a particular profession as a permanent career <a professional soldier>
c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return <professional football>
3
: following a line of conduct as though it were a profession <a professional patriot>
1moth·er
noun \ˈmə-thər\
1
a : a female parent
b (1) : a woman in authority; specifically : the superior of a religious community of women (2) : an old or elderly woman
With four children at home all day, there is little question that I am a mom...so I'm gonna just leave that one alone.
Obviously, all the definitions of professional that include monetary gain are not applicable. I think 2b (having a particular profession as a permanent career) is a possibility. However, for me definition 3 (following a line of conduct as though it were a profession) is spot on for how I view my life as a mother.
How does this effect my daily life? I'm not sure there is one thing that I could name. It just IS my daily life. When we opted to homeschool there were people who asked "Don't you want to let them go to school and get a 'real' job?" The question baffles me to this day. My job IS real and important. The fact that I do not work outside the home does not diminish the importance of my job in the home (just as the fact that some mom's do work outside the home doesn't diminish their job as mother).
So viewing motherhood as my profession translates in many little ways. For me, it means homemade meals more often than not, education at home, very rarely hiring a sitter (if Nanny and Pappy can't keep them they come with us), never using the bathroom alone, hearing about 4 (and cleaning up one) different pooping schedules that are not my own, and playing boardgames or watching tv shows that bore me except for the people I'm with.
What else does it mean? It means my house is NEVER ready for surprise company (unless they are very understanding), it means going to Walmart with the family is enough to drive me to drinking or into a padded room, it means I'm always behind on laundry, and my kitchen floors are sticky. It means that I don't go on shopping trips with friends unless its on a weekend (and rarely then-I hate shopping-HA!)
It means I lose my patience and raise my voice and react instead of respond! It means a morning out with a girlfriend for breakfast and coffee is refreshing and a date with my husband is heavenly.
It means that although there are daily challenges and frustrations, I would not change this life I have for anything.....or that's what it means to me.
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