Joy of a Working Mom

Joy? Aren't we all talking about mommy guilt lately? Yes. And there's plenty to go around. But I want to talk about joy. So, talk about joy I will.

The joy of surprises.

My husband & I were giving my daughter a bath last night. She was saying, as she often does "happyhappyhappy." Our usual response is "yes, you're a happy baby." At which point, she points to her chest or belly and says "bay-b, bay-b, bay-b."

Last night one of us spontaneously started something new. We started singing "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." She clapped her hands right on cue, right on rhythm - clap. clap. "If you're happy and you know it, then your face should surely show it." She pointed her index fingers to the corners of her mouth.

And so on.

We adore Daphne's school. The teachers are great; they send us pictures and artwork, and tell us so much about what she does each day. But they can't tell us everything.

So sometimes, we get surprises.

Like - Our daughter can use a fork really really well. Little Munchkin knows where her nose and toes are. Our sweet girl is happy and she knows it!

Maybe that sounds backward to some of you. I certainly also enjoy the opposite - teaching her a skill myself and watching her show someone else.

I felt pure joy last night, and it was stunning. After a week with it's fair share of the hardships of working-motherhood, it blindsided me. It was like a glimmer of things to come, like her coming home from high school able to explain derivatives and logarithms. She's this little person, who's so dependent on me & so entwined with me in so many ways. Yet, she also has this life of her own. Sometimes it's sad & scary, but often it's actually exciting and joyful.

Blindsided by bliss. Not bad. Not bad at all.