I Am Not My Mother or Am I?

When I became a mother, I vowed to do things differently from my mother.  After all, who wants to be their mother.  Did you swear that you would never turn into your mother?  Even as she was baking wonder breads,  maintaining a perfect house, sewing on a button or placing a band aid on a scrapped knee, I didn't want to be my mother. I had no idea what motherhood entailed at that point in my life. Over the course of the years, I have learned that parenting and keeping a marriage together are tough jobs. Once you step into the arena of parenting and marriage, it changes your life forever.  There's no manual on parenting or how to have a successful marriage.  Life is simply trial and error.  

I grow up in a traditional household, my father worked and my mother took care of 7 children and the home. Yep, I said 7.  She cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, made sure homework was done, attended PTA meetings, got us to bed on time, and sent us to Sunday School every Sunday.  She washed clothes in a wringer washer for some time (yes, I know way before your time), hung them on a clothes line, ironed them, washed windows with vinegar and water, and cooked meals in stockpots.  After all, she was feeding an army.  I remember helping to take clothes off the line, they were stiff as boards when it was cold.  I also remember the best smelling sheets.   It was a good life for the most part.  Nevertheless, I still did not want to be my mother.  I just wanted to be me whoever that was.
  
True to form, I kept my word.  I stayed home with my daughter for awhile, but Corporate America was calling my name.  It's so funny when I look back, my mother thought my choices were awful. Giving your kids microwaved food, traveling around the country and divorcing was not something a traditional woman did. As time went on she accepted my choices and I didn't feel guilty about not becoming my mother.  We both realized that times change; where I come from doesn't make me who I am.   

As the years went on, I realized that many woman had broken the traditional ideology.  When my daughter was in ballet, dads were bringing their daughters to class.  It was no longer the woman's responsibility to get the kids here and there and manage the household.  Men were cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry and women were mowing lawns with John Deer tractors.  More and more women were entering the workforce, bringing the bacon, frying it up and still taking care of hubby and the kids.  Some were bringing in more money than their husbands, and some of us were holding it down without a husband.   

I've enjoyed my years in the workforce, but I'm entering a new chapter in my life.  I have decided to leave Corporate America within the next year.  Many can't believe that I will be able to make the transition.  My career has been a journey, and I've learned many lessons along the way. Working in Corporate America has allowed me to become a better business woman.  It has allowed me to learn new and enhance innate skills, obtain leadership and mentoring skills, but most importantly it has taught me that I no longer want to be apart of it.    

I'm hoping my mother remembers some of the yummy recipes that she fixed when we were children.  I'm looking forward to baking bread, making jams, getting my grandchildren for the summer, traveling abroad and across this great country. I'm looking forward to scrap booking the thousands of pictures that I have stored, and enjoy my coffee in my sun room as I'm watching the birds and bunnies play.  I'm looking forward to putting in new flower beds, and even plan to take sewing lessons.  Am I turning into my mother?     

Note:  Photo compliments of www.stockvault.net