Occupation: Not Specified

So here I am, setting up to start blogging (which I once mistakenly thought was a euphemism for vomiting). I look at my profile, thinking I'll add some information about myself, but I'm having some trouble finding myself (aren't we all?) in the occupations list. I used to work in retail, and I guess I'll have to go back when my maternity leave is up, but that's not the work I'm doing now. I'm a mommy, and I have been for a little more than three months. Of course, job preparation started a year ago... more about that later. This is the hardest job I've ever had; my industry has to be listed somewhere. Let's check the list:

accounting- that's part of my job, but only a small one. I'm the family bookkeeper and general initiator of shopper's remorse (sorry, Sweetie!), but this hardly covers it.

chemicals- no, but a huge portion of my time is spent dealing with biological waste...

education- this is getting a bit closer. My little guy has a lot to learn, and for the next few years, I'll be his most important teacher. So what if the most profound lesson I've taught him so far is that "the doors on the bus go open and shut"? I'm an English teacher, a Phys Ed teacher and a Music teacher. I do more than that, though...

law-enforcement- ask me again in a few years.

non-profit- nobody's paying me to mother, unless you count maternity benefits, which hardly cover the basics. I profit, though, more than I ever would have believed. I'm paid in chubby-cheeked, toothless grins and warm nighttime cuddles. Some day I'll get a raise - kisses and hugs, and if I'm lucky, maybe a construction-paper purse or coloured tissue corsage for Mothers' Day. Definitely not a "non-profit" position!

student- more than anything. There's no steeper learning curve than the one you're on when the hospital sends you home with your little bundle packed securely into that new infant car seat. I'm learning a whole new language, interpreting cries and responding in noises that have never been a part of grown-up conversation. I'm learning how to make a new person smile, how to balance the needs of myself and the two men in my life (the big one and the little one), and how to stay sane while stranded at home. (Just kidding- I lost my marbles months ago.) This education is never going to end, as far as I can tell. I know there are going to be tests and plenty of pop-quizzes, and I know I'll fail some, but I hope to pass most.


So where do I fit in here? All of the above, I guess. Like I said, this is absolutely the most challenging job I've ever had. I have to work through hunger and total exhaustion. I don't get to call in sick, and I don't get days off. I'm on call 24/7. And I love it. This is the best job I'll ever have. I guess I'll just leave that space on my profile blank until there's an option that says "mommy". That will say it all.