"Just A MOM"?

I was thinking the other day that it's been nearly 24 years since I earned a Master's degree from the Univ. of Tennessee-Knoxville in Speech-Language Pathology. I worked so hard to get that degree! I had to take classes like Statistics, which still gives me the heaves just thinking about it, Anatomy and Physiology, Aphasia, and Research, just to name a few. I, also, had to put in many hours of clinical practicum working with patients who had speech, language, and hearing disorders while being supervised by some of my professors. When I finally earned my degree, I had high hopes of being fully immersed in the field for a long time to come. I was going to make a name for myself!

Well, two years after I graduated, I got married and had Brittany three years after that. When I learned that I was pregnant with her, Chris and I agreed that it would be best for me to stay at home with her...to raise her the way we wanted her to be raised. I had always wanted to be a mother, so I was excited and ready for this new chapter in our lives. Chris and I made the decision that when Brittany entered school, I'd go back to work. Guess what happened in that time frame? Abby arrived on the scene! So, time continued on with me being a stay-at-home mom and as the days and years went by, I realized that my girls needed me more, rather than less. So, my "plan" to return to the work force sort of faded away.

I often get asked what I do for a living and my response has always been, "Oh, I'm just a mom". I've never really given a lot of thought to it...it's almost become a rote response. You know, I think I'm much more than "just a mom". You see, being a mom entails a lot of things. I can't tell you the times I've wiped tears from my daughter's eyes because someone has said or done something that has hurt their feelings. I can't tell you the times I've had to sweat over projects they've asked my help with...and have stayed up until the wee hours of the morning trying to get it all figured out. I can't tell you how many times I've sat by their bedside when they've been sick and kept a wet washcloth on their foreheads to keep their fevers down. I can't tell you how many times I've read them "The Cat in the Hat" or "Where the Wild Things Are" and have added my own voices to each character in order to keep them intrigued. I can't tell you the hours I've spent sharing my words of wisdom or advice when my girls have had issues they've needed to work through. I can't tell you the times I've turned to God in prayer asking for His guidance and His help in making me a more patient and understanding mom. I can't tell you how often I've wholeheartedly volunteered to be Room Mom or Team Mom just to spend a little extra time with my girls. Oh, and lest we forget the miles I've burned up taking my girls from one activity to another. This is only the tip of the iceberg, but it goes to show that there is way more to being "just a mom" than meets the eye and I will never use that phrase loosely, again.

In these past 19+ years that I've been a stay-at-home mom, I haven't discovered new therapy approaches for dealing with stuttering, dysphonia, or tongue thrust. No, you won't see any certificates or awards on my walls that I've been given for all of my outstanding endeavors. However, what you will find are memories tucked deep inside my heart of all the time I've been blessed to have with my girls as they've grown up and matured. First steps, first words, first teeth, first days of school, first loves, and first heartbreaks...I've had the great fortune of being there through it all. Would I turn back the hands of time and return to being a full-time "career woman"? For me, the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! HOME is where my heart is and I'm proud to say that "I'm just a MOM!"...and so much more!