Mothers

When you get a new job, you get trained for it and then put out there on your own after you are comfortable. If you do a good job, you get a raise, maybe even a promotion, and certainly a commendation from your boss. If you do a bad job, you get fired. If you don't like it, you quit.

When you become a mom you are given the job without any training whatsoever and are expected to learn as you go. When you make a mistake, it sucks, but you pull yourself up and move on. You can't quit. You can't get fired (no matter how many times your kids wish they could). When you do a good job, there is no real way of knowing. The kids could care less if you're doing a good job. If they have clothes on their back and food in their bellies, it's because they're supposed to, not because you're not a dismal failure at motherhood. And they'd be right about that.

When your kid comes home with a straight A report card, do you pat yourself on the back and say "what a great job I am doing, teaching my kid good study habits" or do you say "my kid is so smart"? I think we know the answer to that one; however, when your kid comes home with a bad grade, your first instinct isn't to be angry with them, but to look at yourself first and what you are doing wrong.

My point is, being a mother is a thankless job. One with benefits that are rarely seen or felt, but when they are it makes everything else worthwhile.

The wonderful thing about the job of a mother is that you have many coworkers. I have so many other mothers that I can turn to for advice when needed (which is all the time). I see other mothers doing such a fantastic job with their kids, raising well-behaved, polite children and I wonder how in the hell are they doing this? Then I see the kids who are bratty snotbuckets and I can't help but be grateful for what I do have.

My own mother had to put up with the mouthy teenager from hell (who, me?) and so I usually turn to her to complain about Dylan's sour mouth. The best advice I get from her is "HAHA I told ya." I can't argue with that though. What comes around definitely goes around and it's going round and round and round. I am sincerely sorry, Mom and Dad, for the many years of attitude I bestowed upon you. I now can curse Dylan. I hope he has twin Dylans. He deserves it.

I make many mistakes as a parent, my kids point them out to me on a daily basis. Someday they'll thank me, I hope, for doing the best that I can with what I have.

Thanks, mom, for putting up with me.