Friday, November 30, 2007

Are you a Slasher? Hint: most moms are!

You may have heard of a new trend in career designations recently. The "Slash Career" is gaining acceptance among mainstream workers. The Slash (/) is no longer reserved for the starving creative types, as in Actor/Busboy, Artist/Barista, Singer/Waitress, etc.

Nowadays, the Slash is popping up between more white collar and upper-middle class professional titles, such as Lawyer/Event Planner, and Executive/Life Coach. People who successfully manage dual careers seem to thrive on the variety in their lives. You know, like pretzels dipped in chocolate. I like pretzels, and I love chocolate. But when you put them in the same bite, they're both even better!

Even though today's hip, modern Slash Careers are getting more press, we all know that mothers are the original Slashers. I'm a mom, and I never know what to put down for "Occupation," when I fill out a form. At first, when I was a new mom, I continued to use my former occupation. My "real" job.

It's been a while since then, and I've gotten over it. The older I get, the less I care about what other people think of me. I'm completely consumed, fulfilled, and exhausted by my current profession as a mom working from home. So what do I write on the form? It's hard to sum up what I do in just one word. But when I start listing the things I do for a living, it seems kind of arrogant to try to write them all down. I mean, who do I think I am? Wonder Woman? I just do what every other mom does... A little bit of everything!

So I usually just choose the occupational titles that mean the most to me personally: Wife and Mother. The other stuff is important, too, and the variety of activities is stimulating and delicious. But in the big picture, all the housework, blogging, entrepreneurial endeavors, and even charitable activities, pale in comparison to the significance of the work I do with my family. Yep, Wife/Mother. That's me.

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