I find the
articles about how much a mom would make if she was paid for what she does
depressing. I think that’s probably the
motivating factor behind such articles, especially when combined with ads for
spa days and beach vacations along the sidebar.
If you’re
unfamiliar with these little gems they give an incredibly long list of all the
things moms do every day with their correlating yearly salary, if they were
getting paid. Nanny, personal chef,
personal assistant, maid, chauffer, life coach, janitor, referee, laundress, veterinarian,
tech support… the list goes on as far as your creativity.
Gotta say,
when I was a kid not one of those things marked in the top ten list of Things I’d
Like to Be When I Grow Up. (The usual
disclaimer of I-love-my-kids-to-pieces-and-would-never-trade-them-for-anything-and-if-you-look-sideways-at-them-I-will-attack-you-like-a-freaking-panther
applies here, of course.) As I look at
what I do with my days there really isn’t much that doesn’t fit into one of the
aforementioned categories. I’ve never
been an extraordinarily ambitious person, but I feel this longing recently to
have more skills than #1 at Not Throwing Up When Cleaning the Gross Stuff Your
Kids Do. I want a hobby, gosh darnit!
This little
blog is a start of that, I suppose. An
opportunity every few days to put my thoughts down and remember my creativity
extends beyond how to turn broccoli and beans into dinner.
Do you have any hobbies (odd or otherwise) to
help you remember you’re a person as well as a parent?
I've been playing in a soccer league on and off. And this year I helped plan a surprise retirement party. It was fabulous to have meetings and e-mails associated with all of that. Yay adult time!
ReplyDeleteMy sister participates in her HOA, and I imagine that when Bekah starts school, I will participate in PTA or whatever they want to call it these days. And I know it's connected to kids, but Bekah will be signed up for soccer this fall and I'm thinking of volunteering as a referee or something.
I'm also looking into classes at the city rec center to see if there are any I'd like to try - exercise or even actual skills (creative writing??). Also, I think it would be fun to be in a recreational choir that was not church related.
The soccer stuff sounds great! It mut be nice to not only get time to yourself, but to do it while being active!
ReplyDeleteSigning up for a class sounds genius. It really makes it more of a commitment when A) there's a day/time you can't adjust (put-off... ignore... whatever...) and B) when it's something you've paid for you're much more likely to go.
I hope you find some fun new things to do out in Mesa!
The scheduled day/time is definitely an important part. That's why gym memberships don't work around my house because it's not a set schedule (even though there is money involved). Soccer was every Friday night at 6, 7:20 or 8:40, I paid a fee for the season AND --- (and here's part that really gets me motivated) Other people were counting on me to be there! So it definitely worked. :)
DeleteI've been looking at the Parks & Rec books for Gilbert (since we are technically in Gilbert) and Mesa (since Daryn works for the City and can get stuff for us there even though we're not in the city limits). I'm bummed b/c classes already started and I have to decide if we'll just sign up late or just not do it. :/
I also forgot to mention that I dabble in Family History research - since Daryn is a convert, we have LOTS of work to do there! Daryn works 4 10s, so for a long time I've wanted to go to a FH Library on Friday mornings as my scheduled 'me' time, but it never seems to happen... that whole "put it off" "it's free" "no one (living) is expecting me to show up" really puts a damper on plans!
But, something my mother is constantly reminding me of is that there is a time and season for all things. When kids are little and at home we devote so much time to them, but as they get older priorities will adjust and there is more time for things that make us feel more... accomplished. (Or so I hear!)