Motherhood is More Than Just Surviving

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e come with responsibilities. I have many responsibilities, but I’m not special in that way. Everyone has many responsibilities. We each have responsibilities to ourselves, our family, our vocation, our community, etc. And yes, we each have to juggle these responsibilities. Some responsibilities can be delegated, some can even be ignored, and the rest have to be managed. It is up to us as adults to each find our own systems of managing our responsibilities.</p><p id="9b4f">With responsibilities also come freedoms. The freedom I have to pursue my own interests has varied as my daughters have grown through their stages. Now that the youngest is 11 years old, I have a lot more time to dive deeply into my own interests than I had when she was younger. I have no regrets for the time I spent fully immersed in motherhood. It allowed me to focus on the growth and development of all three of my daughters.</p><h1 id="4bc1">Enjoying My Latest Freedom</h1><p id="1e4e">Since I’ve started writing, only eight weeks ago, I’ve had to re-evaluate my days, how I allocate my time and I’ve found <b>two </b>time slots where I can write daily. I do not publish daily, but I can definitely write. For now, that is enough. I am enjoying diving into this new interest as my time has opened up.</p><p id="b398">Life is fluid, always evolving, always changing shape to match the environment. I go with the flow.</p><p id="dd1e">This article started out as a response to another article ( <a href="https://readmedium.com/parenting-is-perpetual-survival-mode-c82f71200f05">Parenting is Perpetual Survival Mode</a>) written by <a href="https://niccikadilak.medium.com/">Nicci Kadilak</a>.</p><p id="5a60"><i>Thank you for reading.

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</i> <i>If you enjoyed reading this article and want to support my writing, <a href="https://colleenmillsteed.medium.com/membership">consider signing up to become a Medium member.</a> With just $5 a month, you get access to unlimited stories on Medium. If you sign up using my link, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.</i></p><div id="3df7" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-4-favourite-authors-of-childhood-and-homeschooling-books-ca19b1385cfe"> <div> <div> <h2>My 4 Favourite Authors of Child-rearing and Homeschooling Books</h2> <div><h3>and their books</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*IdDGjSTG_lQcuLp1.jpg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="d00f" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/mediums-value-to-readers-c6b1463f9038"> <div> <div> <h2>Medium’s Value to Readers</h2> <div><h3>I was a reader before becoming a writer.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*-0IcEv76AdofPejN_panaw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="d33d"><i>Originally published at <a href="http://letstalkabout.com.au/motherhood-more-surviving/">http://letstalkabout.com.au</a> on September 22, 2021.</i></p></article></body>

Motherhood is thriving in the moment. Motherhood is one part of the whole that makes all of who I am.

Me and my daughter at the beach for a homeschool camping trip. Motherhood takes me to many places I wouldn’t otherwise go. Photo by Ann Leach.

Being a mother to my daughters is my career. It is the most important thing that I am doing until they are all launched. It is my duty and responsibility to raise my own children and not put them into an institution for most of the day. So I am not just a mum. I am a homeschooling mum.

First, I am a Human Being

I am a woman with my own interests, strengths, and weaknesses. None of that ended just because my daughters were born. I’m not a full-fledged woman or a mum. I am a woman who is also a mum.

The concept of having to choose between career and motherhood is a damaging one. It limits the possibilities. It may just be that certain careers don’t mesh well with motherhood. The choices aren’t career or motherhood, but possibly a certain career and motherhood. Fortunately, there are many careers to choose from.

The idea that life can be split into boxes, compartmentalised is false. Life is life, an all-in-one. I’m not mum or homemaker or wife or writer or community advocate or life coach. I am all of these and more.

Choices Add Responsibilities

Within my life, the choices I have made have come with responsibilities. I have many responsibilities, but I’m not special in that way. Everyone has many responsibilities. We each have responsibilities to ourselves, our family, our vocation, our community, etc. And yes, we each have to juggle these responsibilities. Some responsibilities can be delegated, some can even be ignored, and the rest have to be managed. It is up to us as adults to each find our own systems of managing our responsibilities.

With responsibilities also come freedoms. The freedom I have to pursue my own interests has varied as my daughters have grown through their stages. Now that the youngest is 11 years old, I have a lot more time to dive deeply into my own interests than I had when she was younger. I have no regrets for the time I spent fully immersed in motherhood. It allowed me to focus on the growth and development of all three of my daughters.

Enjoying My Latest Freedom

Since I’ve started writing, only eight weeks ago, I’ve had to re-evaluate my days, how I allocate my time and I’ve found two time slots where I can write daily. I do not publish daily, but I can definitely write. For now, that is enough. I am enjoying diving into this new interest as my time has opened up.

Life is fluid, always evolving, always changing shape to match the environment. I go with the flow.

This article started out as a response to another article ( Parenting is Perpetual Survival Mode) written by Nicci Kadilak.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed reading this article and want to support my writing, consider signing up to become a Medium member. With just $5 a month, you get access to unlimited stories on Medium. If you sign up using my link, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Originally published at http://letstalkabout.com.au on September 22, 2021.