As a high school English teacher, my days were filled with helping young people understand their place in an ever changing world, guiding young minds to read what is on the page and realize what is not, reminding kids that they are just that - kids - by finding humor and letting them play with new ideas, encouraging creativity, and by comforting young people when they struggled with disappointment.
Being a stay at home mom really isn't all that different.
Today's Joy of Love assignment - photograph everyday life in your home - has me reflecting on my role. I'm halfway through my maternity leave. I took this year off from teaching high school to be at home with my two little boys. I didn't know what to expect, whether I would miss teaching, being surrounded by supportive colleagues. But what I've discovered is that I'm still a teacher. My pupils are just a bit smaller that the 15 and 16-year-olds that I usually stand in front of. But I'm still passing on my love of language and literature, helping these two little people make sense of their world and their responsibility to others. And on the plus side, I have a heck of a lot fewer essays to grade!
I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to be at home with my boys, to watch them grow into these imaginative individuals, to see all their "firsts." I've seen first push-ups and roll overs, first crawls, heard first coos and words, spooned first foods, wiped away first bloody noses. Although if a person were to time how I spend my time each day, a majority of it might be spent wiping bottoms and boogies, I wouldn't trade it for all the world. Staying in means that I get to know my little men and in the process, get to know myself.
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