The World's Best Job

A friend recently said to me that if someone had told her how hard parenting was, she would have re-thought the whole thing! Babies don't come with instruction manuals. I received more instruction on how to operate my cell phone than I did with my baby! You have to wing it, figure it out as you go. It's the most important job we will ever do and we are flying by the seat of our pants! There are lots of books to help, and trust me I have read most of them, but basically you have to figure it out on your own.

Every time I think I finally have a handle on this whole mom thing, the job totally changes on me. As soon as I became an expert at changing diapers it was time for potty training. When I finally figured out I needed to keep our house well stocked with the miracle ointment better known as Neosporin, the cuts and scrapes left the knees and headed to the heart. There is no over-the-counter ointment to heal the "Susie won't be my friend anymore" hurt.

It is no wonder that parenting is hard; it is multiple jobs in one. Talk about cross-training!
A parent is a:

Care Provider: We must provide a nurturing environment for our child to grow. We are to care for their every need. We must keep our children clean, fed, and somewhat presentable.

Housekeeper: We are responsible for keeping the child's environment clean and germ free. Thank goodness for Clorox Disinfectant Wipes! We must provide clean clothes to wear, in spite of the occasional week the child insists on wearing the same shirt every single day.

Chauffeur: We must make sure our child gets to school, church activities, girls scouts, soccer practice, piano lessons, the play date with her best friend and back home again.

Nurse: We must know when to use the humidifier versus the vaporizer. Or when to sit in the bathroom for 30 minutes while the shower steams the mirrors, walls and of course both of us. We must know that a sore throat is just a sore throat unless you can see white bumpy stuff and then it is most likely strep. We must bandage, medicate, soothe and comfort all boo-boo's, and sniffles, as well as diagnose each "I don't feel good".

Tutor: I mastered the alphabet song, please don't make me help with fractions!

Nutritionist: Did you know that a child aged 9-13 should have 2 cups of vegetables, 1 1/2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk or other calcium rich foods, 5 ounces of grains, and 5 ounces of meats, beans, fish or nuts per day? PER DAY PEOPLE! And I was feeling good with dinner at McDonald's (at least she ate chicken and potatoes).

Psychoanalyst: "How was school today honey?" "I dunno". "What did you do at recess today?" "I dunno", "Do you think the test went well?" "I dunno". I have a feeling this job is going to get much much harder!

Just think if parents were paid the equivalent salaries for all the above jobs that we do each and every day! My daughter recently told me that when she grows up she wants to have four kids. I just smiled and said "that's nice honey".