As most of you know, my college career is coming to an end on April 26th. And I couldn't be more excited. Nervous. Lost.
I haven't even graduated yet and I have this feeling that I'm forgetting a homework assignment or that I should check my email to make sure I didn't get a last minute announcement from my professor.
I've been really thinking about life after college and transitioning into parenthood. Two very big steps with only a few weeks in between. As you can imagine it is slowly overwhelming me. Up until now my life has been focused on visible, obtainable goals. A life filled with deadlines and expectations clearly outlined in digital and hardcopy. My work has been evaluated in black-and-white fashion based on a rubric, and then I am given a grade based on my performance.
It was so easy to compare my work to the work of other students in my class.
It was so easy to see success and improvement when I was given a raise or was accepted for a better job.
Not only have I been in school for the past 18 years of my life, I have also been working regularly working 1-2 jobs since I was 15 years old. My resume slowly accumulated more and more experience, and my credentials and compensation increased with each job.
Although it was hard work, it was nice how grades, pay, and resumes made it easy to measure my success and compare my work with the work of others.
Grades
Pay.
Those are both clear-cut methods of comparison. Easy to measure how much I was worth and how well I was doing compared to the "average" of my peers.
Parenthood is very different. Although I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom (SAHM), I am finding it hard to let go of my former method of measuring success and realize that motherhood has completely different ways of measuring success.
There will be no deadlines, syllabi, rubrics, or grades. There will be no salary, raises, or bonuses.
My academic and professional careers that were filled with comparison and competition will be obsolete in the world of parenthood.
I am not writing this blog post to whine or to try and justify mine or anyone's choices.
I want to be a SAHM because it's what I want to do and it's what I know will be best for our family. I'm not saying it will be easy, though. I can sympathize with women today who find it hard to find fulfillment in staying at home based on the criteria we've been judged with our whole lives.
It is not easy to switch from one mentality to another.
There are probably many of you that have never felt this way and many who have. It's a deeply personal subject that I think women avoid discussing, especially in the LDS culture. Any mention of having mixed feelings of staying at home puts you right in the middle of radical working mothers and die-hard stay at home moms. A place where you don't want to be. I wish we could openly discuss our feelings without the threat of being attacked. There is nothing wrong with discussing how our culture affects our opinion of motherhood and our identity as a mother.
Personally, our culture that is focused on academic and career success has affected me. Not in a bad way, just in a way that makes it necessary for me to change my mindset and make a formal transition to parenthood.
I am so excited to be a mother and I am immensely grateful that our circumstances make it possible for me to stay at home with our baby. I wouldn't have it any other way, but I will be the first to admit that it won't be an easy transition from one mindset to another.
However, judging from the amazing examples in my life (mother, aunts, cousins, in-laws) I sure as heck know that it will be more than worth it.
Showing posts with label College. Show all posts
Showing posts with label College. Show all posts
4.11.2013
5.25.2012
Coconut Lemon Drops + Good News
I have an announcement.
I decided to prolong my time at BYU. Yes, this is good news.
I am adding a Visual Arts minor. This means that I will be taking a lot of visual arts core classes (History of World Civilization, History of Interior Design, etc.) as well as graphic design and photography classes. I am really enjoying my time at Help Me Grow and having the opportunity to design and create, and it has left me craving more!
Anyway, that's my good news :) Here is a treat.
adapted from Addicted to Veggies
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 cups dried shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 big pinches of salt
6 Tbsp agave (you can also use honey or maple syrup)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon zest (Tip: Zest your Lemon before you juice it)
1/4 cup coconut oil + Tbsp melted coconut oil
In an electric mixer, combine dry ingredients and set aside.
In separate bowl, mix together agave, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. While mixer is still running, slowly add coconut oil and mix until oil cools down.
Using a cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop) drop dough onto cookie sheet and either cook in oven (200 degrees, 1 hour) or let them sit refrigerator for one hour.
2.16.2012
Undergrad and Blog Update
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| I love my family |
Hey everyone! Lately, I have been thinking a lot about school, family, etc. and realized that I graduate in December and I only have two more semesters of classes, crazy! I was also thinking about all the things I have learned in my family classes and wishing that I could share it with everyone that I know...
For those of you who don't know, I am studying Family Life with an emphasis in Family Studies. Most people respond to this as "Oh, the M.R.S Degree." Hahaha I haven't heard that one before...
Is the Family Life major a desperate call for marraige? No. Do my required classes include sewing, cooking, pottery, etc? No. Is it easy? NO!
There are a lot of elective courses that have to do with sewing, cooking, etc. but they are electives and anyone can take them, you don't have to be an SFL major.
What can you do with a degree in Family Life?
1. Go to grad school
2. Write pointless blogs
There really aren't a lot of high-paying jobs in the world that require a BS in Family Life. It is an extremely useful degree, but sadly sometimes the most influential skills are the least valued in terms of money.
My plans? Work/volunteer with non-profit organizations that help families to create healthier relationships and better home environments.
When I graduate I can also teach parenting/marriage classes in the community. There are lots of opportunities to use my degree, just not a lot of high-paying ones.
One way that I would like to use my degree to make a difference in families by sharing useful information on this blog. The internet, books, and family members offer lots of advice and information on how to parent, but what is fact and what is fiction?
On this blog I will be sharing some facts and principles that I learn in my classes, and maybe even debunk a few parenting myths along the way. You are welcome to accept them and apply them as you want/need. There is a lot of controversy about how to properly raise children, and so I am simply going to state facts and universally applicable techniques that are taught in my classes, but for the most part it all depends on the parent and child. For example, when asked how he parented his children, my professor simply said,
"I have as many parenting methods as I have children."
FYI: Family Life Educators are the fence at the top of the hill (prevention), and therapists are the ambulance at the bottom; I can give principles and ideas to help strengthen relationships, but I do not have the knowledge, experience, or authority to repair damaged family relationships. So, if you have any problems or concerns with issues regarding your family, please consult a certified therapist.
I am so passionate about the family, it's role in society, and it's role in our development as human beings. This is my way of making the world a better place, and helping parents and children build stronger, healthier bonds.
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