I never saw it coming. Never once had entertained the idea in my childhood or early adulthood that I would not work, not pursue a career, or *gasp* write "housewife" under occupation on a form.
I usually shake my head and laugh when I explain to people that I spent 6 tortuous years in college earning a bachelors and masters degree in Chemical Engineering.
Why Engineering? Is your father an Engineer?
I have no Earthly idea, no my father is not an Engineer. My best answer is that my track coach was also my A.P. Chemistry teacher and he told me Chemical Engineering was the hardest undergraduate degree and that there weren't many women in Engineering. And he even pointed me to an Engineering school in Colorado where I could run Division II track most likely with a scholarship.
Off I went.
That was 14 years ago.
I wouldn't change a thing. I am proud of my degrees and I'm sure that my studies have made me better at working through stress, critical thinking, multitasking, and problem solving - all of which are valuable to my current "job."
But sometimes, just sometimes, I wish that someone along the way had at least even made the tiniest mention of the possibility of being a Domestic Engineer. Maybe then it wouldn't have felt like such a colossal leap into crazy-ville like it did 4 years ago.
Don't get me wrong, it's great this world we live in today where women have every opportunity as men and there is far less sexism and type-casting than there probably ever has been. But really, it does make it hard for the modern woman/stay-at-home-mom to rectify what she has believed success to be and look like for 27 years, with what she now knows success truly is for her.
(See Disclaimer now at the bottom of this post if your blood pressure just spiked.)
A happy home.
The size of family you want, not what is dictated by the dual income lifestyle.
The satisfaction of making hard sacrifices to make "it" work.
The single income lifestyle isn't all that easy these days.
I get that.
I know I am lucky to even have the chance at all do make this choice.
Success is different for us all.
Staying home all day with three little testosterone factory tyrants isn't for everyone.
But sometimes when I glance over at my diplomas hanging on the wall I mostly feel like what I truly got at that school was an awesome husband and Father to my children.
It is antiquated, I know.
And it's certainly not what I went looking for, but I wouldn't change a thing.
***
Disclaimer:
***
I DO NOT think staying at home is harder, better, produces better kids, etc than any other option. I worked and my kids went to daycare for 5 years. I will most likely return to work someday. I am not preachy, just a momma who is blissfully happy to have these years at home with her kids.
I usually shake my head and laugh when I explain to people that I spent 6 tortuous years in college earning a bachelors and masters degree in Chemical Engineering.
Why Engineering? Is your father an Engineer?
I have no Earthly idea, no my father is not an Engineer. My best answer is that my track coach was also my A.P. Chemistry teacher and he told me Chemical Engineering was the hardest undergraduate degree and that there weren't many women in Engineering. And he even pointed me to an Engineering school in Colorado where I could run Division II track most likely with a scholarship.
Off I went.
That was 14 years ago.
I wouldn't change a thing. I am proud of my degrees and I'm sure that my studies have made me better at working through stress, critical thinking, multitasking, and problem solving - all of which are valuable to my current "job."
But sometimes, just sometimes, I wish that someone along the way had at least even made the tiniest mention of the possibility of being a Domestic Engineer. Maybe then it wouldn't have felt like such a colossal leap into crazy-ville like it did 4 years ago.
Don't get me wrong, it's great this world we live in today where women have every opportunity as men and there is far less sexism and type-casting than there probably ever has been. But really, it does make it hard for the modern woman/stay-at-home-mom to rectify what she has believed success to be and look like for 27 years, with what she now knows success truly is for her.
(See Disclaimer now at the bottom of this post if your blood pressure just spiked.)
A happy home.
The size of family you want, not what is dictated by the dual income lifestyle.
The satisfaction of making hard sacrifices to make "it" work.
The single income lifestyle isn't all that easy these days.
I get that.
I know I am lucky to even have the chance at all do make this choice.
Success is different for us all.
Staying home all day with three little testosterone factory tyrants isn't for everyone.
But sometimes when I glance over at my diplomas hanging on the wall I mostly feel like what I truly got at that school was an awesome husband and Father to my children.
It is antiquated, I know.
And it's certainly not what I went looking for, but I wouldn't change a thing.
***
Disclaimer:
***
I DO NOT think staying at home is harder, better, produces better kids, etc than any other option. I worked and my kids went to daycare for 5 years. I will most likely return to work someday. I am not preachy, just a momma who is blissfully happy to have these years at home with her kids.
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