Overwhelming Grace: Balancing Parenthood and Career

PC: Pixabay

I was told repeatedly by many different people that “nursing is a great career to raise a family,” or something to that effect, when I decided to pursue my calling to become a nurse. I wasn’t thinking about raising a family and that sentiment fell on deaf ears.

Fast forward three years to the birth of our first daughter. Once we had a baby, it honestly felt to me like there was no great career to raise a family… I was 100% overwhelmed with the desire to continue to do all that I had done and be all that I had been before becoming a mom and still manage to support this completely dependent little life. But you figure it out… kind of. And, you become who you need to be to do the most important job you have been given.

A “great career” is not synonymous with easy. I truly believe that no matter which role you find yourself in as a mom-the stay at home, work from home, work outside of the home, or any combination thereof – there is no “easy”. We’ve grown through multiple of seasons of life and work since that first baby graced our lives, and today, I find myself working in multiple capacities which helps to feed my family and also feeds my soul. Nursing by night outside of the home… health coaching from anywhere at anytime… instructing yoga for fun and to promote wellness within my community.

I recently transitioned back into a full time nursing schedule where I work outside of the home every Monday through Friday night from 10:00pm to 6:30am. For the first time in seven years, there are two full time working parents in our family.  This opportunity challenged us with some new experiences like our first time searching for a day care and figuring out sleep schedules that maximize our time together as a family, but still provide adequate rest. 

For us, the key to finding a work schedule that “works,” is first deciding what’s most important; our priorities and goals.  Obviously, we need to be able to pay our bills.  It’s responsible to save money, to plan for the future, to give generously. What’s most important to me, however, is being home when the kids get home from school, being available to help with homework in the evening, creating time for family dinner and giving bedtime snuggles. Your priorities may look different from mine, but the important thing is to identify what they are for you and your family. 

As a kid, I always dreamed of being a world changer and I saw a lot of people in the medical field that – to me – looked just like the type of world changer that I wanted to be. For some reason, it seemed like the overwhelm I felt when I became a mom knocked me off of my course to fulfill that purpose; and I wasn’t sure I could ever leave a legacy if I couldn’t pursue my career the way that I initially mapped it out in my own mind. And then I noticed a tension in the workplace and in motherhood over “how” or “who” is doing the mom thing best when it comes to choices over work – where, when, how much, etc. None of us will ever do it perfectly, but I find that I my purpose in life is not compromised and my dream is still realized as I wholeheartedly agree with the words of a wise woman when she says: “If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.” ~Mother Teresa

 

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