Just A Thought

Act like what you do makes a difference. It does.
---William James


Many times I think to myself, 'What have I done to make a difference in this world?' I get up in the morning, make everyone breakfast AGAIN and wonder what have I contributed to this world? When I taught school the answer to this question was easy: I am preparing children to go out into this world and be successful. I show warmth and compassion to many children who have been shown neither. I care, and try to show kids that they are worth something, that they can attain their dreams. I also try to show them that not everyone in the world will see them as I or their parents see them. For example, my answer to the common refrain of 'It's not fair!' was ,"Life isn't fair and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

All of the sudden, today it hit me. Many of the things that I did while teaching are the same things I do with my children every day. I remember when I was teaching that I used to think that the childrens' parents had way more influence over them than I or any teacher ever could. So how come as a parent I don't see my importance? Does a paycheck mean that I have made more of a difference to the world? Does a paycheck make that more legitimate? Why do I think every so often, that hey I have a degree and I am doing THIS? Truthfully, why do I not see my job as a SAHM as important as a PAYING job? I saw how improtant mothers and fathers were when I was teaching. I could tell right away if a certain child had a parent who was involved in his/her life. I remember as a child wanting my mom to be home. I remember being happy when my mom went on a field trip, was a room mom or showed she cared about me in another way. Wasn't that important? Or was her paying job MORE important? If you asked her, I did, she would have told you that while she liked her work my brother and I were far more important. We were the best things that ever happened to her, she said. And I will tell you that my boys are the best things that ever happened to me. My husband included. So why do I not see my role, my job, as mother as being as important as my job of being a teacher was?