The Perfect Wife, Mother and Business Person

Everywhere you look you see headlines saying we must strive to be the best wife, the best mother, and have the most amazing career.  Well, I am here to tell you that type of person does not live in this house! And I am guessing she doesn’t live in yours either! Let’s talk about WAHM’s Real World and that Perfect World we are told we must achieve for life long happiness.   

In the Perfect World we hear about the Best Wife who can handle their significant others needs beautifully, that their marriage is a true meeting of like spirits, and they always have time for each other.  How nice for them.  In the WAHM Real World our relationships are a bit different than that.  In the first place sometimes it takes getting married more than once to find our special partners because we don’t always get it right the first time.  Sometimes we get lucky the first time and some of us, well, it’s the third time and final attempt that really works.  Yes, we have time for each – but the date night scenario takes place as we do other things like cooking or tag-teaming the bath hour.  Sometimes we see each other at the local gas station and make a point to cheerily wave at each other mouthing “I Love you” across the fuel pumps.   Very romantic stuff!   

In the Perfect World the Best Mother is able to attend all her kids sports events, coordinate all Homeroom Mother holiday events, and gets each child to wear the perfect outfit on picture day. Of course it’s getting done because she has the help of a nanny, a housekeeper, and in the background somewhere a fabulous assistant or secretary.  I sincerely believe they usually forget to mention that part in the article!   How silly of them!  In the Real World our helpers include the dishwasher, the washer and dryer, and on a good day the vacuum.  In my house one daughter refused to wear anything to school but her favorite outfit and her Wonder Woman underwear for three months straight. I just thanked the Lord that he gave me a washer & dryer and a teacher who understood the situation and had the patience of a saint.  I failed the Best Mother contest during that time but my daughter was very happy! 

In the Perfect World the Best Career Woman shows how she shot straight to the top by working 18 hour days, seven days a week and did what ever it took to get the job done.  In the real world our WAH businesses start slowly and can experience many ups and downs.  We are and may always be worker bees.  We show up every day.  We come early, stay late and give 110% to the projects on hand no matter how menial or boring –because someone has to do them and that someone is us!  We love the fun, interesting, creative assignments too.  We just don’t see them every day.  We can’t all be queen bees! And that’s okay because we are focused on other goals for now.   

Because our quality of life with our significant others and children are our real world there are never and never will be enough hours in the day to get everything done no matter how well we plan our days and nights.  Yet we never give up and are willing to do it over again day after day! That is our Real World version of the Perfect Wife, Perfect Mother, and Business Person.   
 

Posted:Wednesday, February 13, 2008