Motherhood is NOT the toughest job on the planet…it’s not a job at all!

Why do we compare motherhood to a job?  Jobs have set hours where you are on the clock and off the clock.  Jobs have benefits…I mean tangible benefits.  Jobs have vacation days, paid time off days and sick days.  Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to those with jobs.  In fact, how about a salary? Hourly wage?  insurance benefits?  Retirement  fund?  Wait…let’s see, an annual performance review?  Opportunity for upward movement?

I just don’t see the comparison.

What motherhood is….is a way of life. It’s a gift.  It’s craziness.   A lifelong, 24/7, relentless commitment.    Yes, I know, we choose it (most of the time!).  But I think at times, at least the first time around, it’s like choosing a prize from behind somebody’s back…you just don’t know what you are going to get!

And while it does no one good to sit and complain about how hard motherhood can be….let’s get real.  We are blessed to be able to be mothers. We are blessed to be able to give and sustain life outside of our selves.  There is nothing like the love of a mother.  And it IS hard at times.  It is stressful, confusing, earth shattering difficult sometimes.   It is also a gift. And at times, we may want to imagine our life without the gift…or think back to the time in our life when we did not have that gift…but it is our life.

So I can not narrow it down, exactly what motherhood is…in one word, phrase or sentence.  But I do know that it is NOT a job.  Jobs come and go…motherhood will always remain, with all the stresses and the many blessings!