Dreams of a Mother“

This Mother’s Day, Momocrats asked what dreams we hold for our children. Here is one of mine.

I dream that my daughter will have more choices than I do when it comes to how her time is spent. I dream that whether her choice be a full-time career, a stay-at-home adventure, or a combination of the two, that the factors contributing to this choice are hers alone – not society’s or economic’s or any thing other than her own aspirations.

The “mommy wars” have been long fought for women and continue today. These wars have never had much of an impact on me, not because I don’t care or understand them, but simply because I’ve never fit into either demographic. My career is one of necessity. My choice to work is based on bills to pay and necessary benefits like health insurance. So I’ve never been inclined to think much about my right to choose, as the decision was made for me by financial factors often out of my control.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to have the job I have and the blessings it allows me. I can feed my child, shelter her, provide medical care when needed, and access to educational opportunities we can easily take for granted. But what I wouldn’t give to be the one guiding my child through the majority of her day. I hope someday she sees that being a working mom, I longed to be with her more than I was. I hope she can appreciate that our time together, though sometimes not high in quantity, was filled with quality.

So you ask what is my dream? My dream is that through my example, she sees all the opportunities she has within reach. My dream is that nothing constricts her choices and she has the education, the self-confidence and the drive to carve her way on her terms.