The "Hard" Is What Makes It Great...

 

Parenting…one of the most difficult responsibilities you’ll tackle in your lifetime…yet the most rewarding.

Is parenting hard? Absolutely – without question the most difficult task I’ve endured in the past 30 + years.

For the past 6 months since Carrine has joined our family I’ve struggled with the thought of continuing this frantic weekly routine of waking the kids in the morning, rushing them to daycare/pre-school, rushing to work, rushing back to pre-school to drop back off at daycare on my lunch break, rushing back to work, rushing back to daycare before closing time, rushing home to make supper, rushing to any extra-curricular activities at night, rushing through baths and bedtime stories only to spend maybe a total of one waking hour with my kids during the day to get them into bed before 8 pm. Repeat, repeat, repeat – life is too crazy - yet this seems to be the "new normal." Or what do we do when the kids are sick or who is going to leave work early when there is a snow day at school or school gets out early? And that doesn’t even include that every single weekend there are plans.

Is it hard being a parent and working full-time outside of the home? Absolutely.
Is it hard being a stay-at-home parent? Absolutely.
There is no easy way of parenting and providing for your children.
There is no "one way" or "right" way of parenting - it's whatever works best for your family.

Last weekend I turned on the TV and one of my most favorite movies of all time was playing, “A League of Their Own.” When I saw this movie clip (above) I couldn’t help but realize that what Jake and I are about to encounter for our own family this year is the best decision we could’ve made…I’m taking a one-year leave of absence from my professional career to be a stay-at-home mom.

Is it going to be hard? Absolutely – without question Jake and I will sacrifice a lot. I’m afraid to give up my full-time pay check and benefits. I’m afraid to give up my “identity” in the professional world and to have a hole in my resume. I take a lot of pride in my full-time work. But I am also beyond thankful and excited for this opportunity to be home with the kids this school year…they need me at home and I need them.

Life is full of changes. Change is scary – it's the "fear of the unknown." But that's where FAITH comes into play. And one thing I’ve learned, especially in this past year, is that God is here for us if we just invite Him into our lives. God never gives us more than we can handle and He does provide for us – whether we realize it or not.

In regards to Tom Hanks – Parenting (and now being a stay-at-home mom) is supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The “hard” is what makes it GREAT.

Here’s praying and staying optimistic for a GREAT year at home with Jake and the kids. I have the next 30 + years to work outside of the home – but I’ll never get this next year back with the kids.

Absolutely no regrets - we're taking a Leap of Faith - I love this quote below.

It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The “hard” is what makes it great.